Star Blazers Audacious (A Yamato 2199 & 2202 spinoff story)
by JATJordanNevada
Summary: A year after the end of the Gatlantean War, a routine naval exercise between Earth and Garmillas ships is disrupted when unexpected old and new enemies attack several territories within the LMC. In the midst of the chaos, an Andromeda-class battleship and her crew of misfits must learn to put aside their personal problems and differences to fight and survive the darkness to come.
1. A Cold Start

**Chapter 1 - A Cold Start**

**_September 2203 - Above the Northern hemisphere of Mars _**

In the skies above the Northern Pole of the fourth planet of the Solar System, a massive desperate battle was being fought. The allied fleet of Garmillas and Earth were in a desperate stand against the relentless onslaught of Gatlantis and its endless armada of ships which could determine the fate of Earth itself. Already the Garmillan special fleet known as the Crimson Camaraderie Strike force, alternatively known as the Berger Strike Team, had destroyed a leading Gatlantean vanguard which included three Medalusa-class flame strike gun battleships. But the arrival of Admiral Balsey's flagship, the supercarrier _Apocalix_, along with hundreds of Calaklum-class battleships and waves of Deathvatator fighter bombers launched from the supercarrier's flight decks had easily replaced the destroyed vessels as if they never existed. Though several Dreadnoughts and Garmillan cruisers were destroyed in a matter of minutes, the allied fleet refuses to buckle under such enormous pressure from the Gatlantean armada.

Aboard the Dreadnought-class battleship, the UNCF _Dover_, Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Lee, a twenty-two-year old young man from Southeast Asia with dark brown hair and wearing spectacles, was trying to maintain order within the battered bridge of his ship. Already the captain of the ship and XO had fallen in battle, leaving him, the tactical chief, in command of the battered vessel. Despite taken several hits from the Gatlantean battleships, _Dover_ was still combat effective enough to stay in the battlefield.

"The Garmillas Interdictor Walls have been delivered!" reported the communications officer. "Ambassador Varel's flagship and the rest of the Crimson Camaraderie Strike forces are withdrawing!"

"Oh, come on!" protested the engineering officer. "They barely took any significant damage and they're retreating already?"

"I don't think so," said Jonathan. "Their battlecarriers aren't damaged enough to warrant their withdrawal at this stage of the battle."

"Sir!" said the communication officer. "Captain Tani on the _Aldebaran_ has ordered us and other ships of the 29th Dreadnought division to escort the Crimson Camaraderie Strike Groups as they try to outflank the enemy!"

"Very well, changing course to match the allied Garmillas fleet," replied Jonathan as he began steering the vessel away from the main combat zone. "In the meantime, continue firing on any enemy ships that comes into our gun range! We have to keep them occupied till the 2nd Black Berserk Battalion and the _Andromeda_ to start their attack run on the Gatlantean superfortress from above!"

With the orders received, the seven battleships of the 29th Dreadnought Division, including the _Dover_, turned around and headed towards the red and black Garmillas Apollo Norm-type battlecarriers and the lone Zoelgutt-class super-dreadnought. The Dreadnoughts pulled alongside the starboard flank of the Garmillas capital ships and formed a moderate line of defence for the latter.

As the vessels seek out a different angle of attack against the White Comet, twelve Calaklum-class battleships had moved in to attack the allied fleet by crossing its T, with their heavy impulse cannons blazing away. In retaliation, the Dreadnoughts and the Garmillas capital ships fired broadsides of shock and heavy positron cannons at the approaching vessels creating a deadly crossfire between the two fleets. In two minutes the combined gunfire of the Earth and Garmillan ships succeeded in destroying three Calaklums and badly damaging an additional four. The Gatlantean ships also managed to draw blood on the allied fleet. Two Dreadnought-class battleships that had taken damage earlier in the battle, succumbed to their wounds and disintegrated into fiery wrecks. _Dover_ herself took a few hits but despite the damage, she still manages to hold her position and keep firing her shock cannons at the aggressors.

"How long till the _Andromeda_ and that autonomous fleet start their attack run?" asked Jonathan who was becoming exhausted by the slugfest between the enemy and friendly fleet.

"In eight seconds, sir!" replied the lieutenant who now manned the tactical console of the _Dover_.

Jonathan at the main viewscreen and gazed upwards behind the Gatlantean ships in the background, hoping to get a glimpse of the Black Berserk Battalion's second attack on the Gatlantis. Sure enough, multiple flashes of blue and white can be seen glowing at the upper artificial cloudy atmosphere of the White Comet, the tell-tale signs of dozens of wave motion guns firing in unison. Moments later the entire upper section of the White Comet erupted with vicious flares and glows of pink and white light, signalling that the Black Berserk Battalion had hit its target.

"Did they get them?" asked Jonathan, hopeful that this last desperate strike would finally destroy Gatlantis for good. "Did the Black Berserk Battalion get them?"

The comms officer listened closely for any transmissions from Captain Yamanami, who commanded the autonomous fleet via the _Andromeda_, for any indication on the attack's results. Seconds later, his eyes went wide with horror and his face completely pale as he heard the depressed voice of Yamanami who relayed the grim answer. Turning to face his acting captain, all the comms officer could do to report the news was a simple but solemn shake of the head. Jonathan gasped in horror before tilting his head down in defeat, eyes and fists clenched in anger and frustration.  
_So, another attempt to destroy Gatlantis has failed. What's the point of sending out more and more ships manufactured from the Time Vault Factory? Despite all our efforts, all our countermeasures and plans, everything we thrown at them, the lives and ships we sacrificed, they were all for nothing! The fate of Earth and humankind is sealed. _Jonathan thought bitterly. _If only Yamato didn't fell at the end of the Battle of Saturn, she and her legendary crew would have found a way to stand up against the evil and malice of the White Comet. But even so, do they even had a chance?  
_Before Jonathan could ponder more on these thoughts, a sudden chill went up his spine as a sudden feeling of Déjà vu entered his mind.  
_Wait a second, haven't I thought and been through this before? This sense of impending doom feels all too familiar_.

As if to confirm his foreboding intuition, his acting tactical officer cried out in alarm.  
"Vampire! Vampire! Incoming anti-matter missiles from the starboard bow and closing fast!"

Looking at the bridge's main panel viewscreen, Jonathan could clearly see a swarm of large Demolisher anti-matter missiles, fired from a battalion of Gostok-class missile battleships that had hidden behind the Gatlantean battleships, streaking directly towards the allied fleet.

"Intercept enemy missiles with shock cannons and pulse lasers!" cried Jonathan. "Don't let even one get through to the Garmillan capital ships!"

The five remaining Dreadnoughts switched their main guns into rapid-fire mode and shifted their focus to the missiles that were streaking towards them at high speed. Despite the fierce barrages the Earth battleships unleashed, six missiles still broke through and continue to race towards their targets unchallenged. The AA guns mounted on the superstructure and concealed weapon hatches on the Dreadnoughts tried to put up a final defence against the six missiles by spraying a thick flak of crimson pulse lasers, but their efforts were futile as they lack the energy output to damage such enormous warheads in a quick span of time. Jonathan gripped tightly on the armrest of his chair and issued a single command to the rest of the crew just two seconds before the missiles could strike the _Dover_.

"All hands brace for impact!"

The gigantic missiles slammed into the Cosmo Navy battleships and detonated with grim results: Two Dreadnoughts whose shields were virtually gone were vaporised from the immense blue energy that burst forth from the warheads; Two others were shredded into fiery wrecks as their wave motion shields failed to withstand the blasts; Finally, the _Dover_, which was the furthest from the detonating missiles, had several holes torn into her hull from the pressure of the shockwaves along with flying debris from her fallen sisters which violently scratched of layers of armour off her hull. Despite the trails of smoke and fire pouring from her gaping wounds, the sole surviving Dreadnought was miraculously in one piece.

Inside the bridge, the control room was a complete wreck from being violently shaken by the shockwaves of the missile detonations. Large chunks of debris and shattered pipes had fallen all around the room with broken wires dangling along the ceiling which rained down electrical sparks on the floor. Flames erupted from a few consoles that had exploded from their overloaded circuits and began dispersing smoke throughout the shambled control room. Gasping for breath, Jonathan struggled to regain consciousness after having his forehead bashed on the hard metal navigation console during the devastating hit on his ship. A little warm and wet trickle he felt on his forehead confirmed that he was bleeding from the impact on his head.

"Damage report," rasped Jonathan as he continued to cough from the toxic fumes that were filling the ship from the raging fires. "Damage report!"

Hearing no response, Jonathan looked around the bridge to seeing if anyone was still alive or at least able to respond to his order. To his horror, Jonathan saw that everyone aside from him were either lying motionless on their consoles with parts of their bodies dripped in blood. Stepping up from his navigation chair, he hurried to the bodies of his fellow crew members and checked each of their pulses for any signs of life. To his dismay, he found none.  
_My first acting command of WMG battleship, and everyone on the bridge is dead_. Jonathan thought regretfully. _Damn those inhuman Gatlanteans! _

Barely keeping himself from being overwhelmed by the loss of his comrades, Jonathan hurried to the engineering console displays while covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief to protect his lungs from the toxic smokes. Looking carefully at the damaged and flickering displays, Jonathan discovered that the damage to the _Dover_ was severely extensive. Several decks had been breached, all weapons systems were knocked out, radar was also gone, and the wave motion core's power output was down to 30%. Miraculously the engines on the badly crippled Dreadnought were still functioning and only three-fifths of all the RCS thrusters were operational.  
_If I can get the engines up to power, I may be able to steer the _Dover_ to safety and possibly save the ship!_ Jonathan hopefully thought. _I wonder if anyone else aside from me is alive on this ship? Hopefully there might be others elsewhere inside the _Dover_ that has survived the attack. _

Suddenly, the acting captain began to cough violently as the fumes began to overrun the bridge. He frantically tried to activate the bridge's ventilation system but to no avail as the display screen reported only errors. Jonathan soon realized that if he didn't leave the bridge soon, he will eventually succumb to the overwhelming smoke. Rushing quickly to the navigation console, he quickly plotted an automatic course for the _Dover_'s main computer to follow till he could regain manual control of the ship once he got to CIC, which was located a deck below him. Provided if the secondary bridge wasn't damaged or the ship doesn't get finished off by a Gatlantean battleship before he got there.

With the coordinates set on the main navigation computer, Jonathan started to make his way out of the smoked filled bridge and on his way to CIC. Before Jonathan could exit through the doorway, he heard an eerie voice from behind him.

"Jonathan… Don't leave us…"

Jonathan paused. Was there still one of the bridge staff that was still alive? He turned around slowly and to his utter confusion and horror, he saw the comms officer slightly leaning upward from his console with his face completely devoid of life as if he was a zombie, and his trembling hand stretched out towards the acting captain.

"You should have done more you coward," the undead voice rasped. "Don't deserve to survive this!"

Jonathan gulped. _This couldn't be real!_ he thought. _If I recall this isn't how it- _

Pausing at his thoughts, Jonathan realized that this reality he was witnessing right now wasn't real.

_It's that damn dream again_! Jonathan thought.

Before he could find a way break out of it. A sudden shadow loomed though the bridge windows of the _Dover_. Glancing outside, Jonathan saw a single massive Calakmul-class battleship sailing straight towards him with the intention of ramming his ship. Jonathan tried to sprint to the navigation console to steer the _Dover_ away from the monstrous dreadnought but found himself unable to move.

_What's wrong with me?_ Jonathan thought to himself as he tried again and again to make some effort to move his limbs, but it was in vain. It was as if he was gripped by an invisible force that preventing him from running.

As he struggled to free himself, Jonathan watched as the Calaklum-class battleship's bow opened like a crocodile, revealing a sharp and jagged jaw with rows of metal teeth stained with black oil and blood.  
_Impossible!_ Jonathan thought as his eyes grew wide at the horrifying sight that filled the bridge windows. He had to escape before the monster ship crushed the _Dover_ between its crooked and sharp jaws.

Suddenly Jonathan fell to the floor of the bridge; his legs and arms were freed from whatever force had held him tightly. Knowing there was no time to rush to the navigator console to steer the ship away from the mechanical monster that the Calaklum had morphed into, he turned around and tried rushing out of the bridge to get into an escape pod to evacuate. But before Jonathan could reach the exit, the doors slammed shut and trapping him inside.

"HELP! Let me out of here!" he cried frantically as he pounded the door. "Somebody please! Help me!"

But try as he might, the door wouldn't budged. Jonathan slumped down in defeat and found himself looking inside the upper jaw of Calaklum which meant that the _Dover_ was right between its jaws. He could only scream helplessly as the jaws finally closed and crushed the Dreadnought in one quick bite.

* * *

_**17th October 2204 - Outer Rim of the Large Magellanic Cloud **_

Jonathan woke up in cold sweat from his bed just as his digital clock's alarm was buzzing. He panted in shock at that awful dream he experienced.

"Damn, now that is one awful nightmare," he chuckled bitterly as he wiped the sweat of his forehead.

As he stretched his arms and yawned, a ship-wide PA broadcast was announced via the speaker in his room. "Attention please! Commander Lee please report to the main bridge immediately!"

Jonathan looked to his left where the digital clock was mounted on the wall. Much to his embarrassment and alarm, he was thirty minutes late to report at the bridge.  
_Oh crap!_ Jonathan thought as he quickly changed from his pyjamas to his Cosmo Navy uniform. Quickly exiting out of his room, Jonathan ran as fast as he could and a few minutes later arrived gasping for breath at the doorway of the bridge much to the amusement and disapproval of his fellow crewmembers.

"Commander Lee, reporting in!" Jonathan gasped as his body rested from the rapid sprint.

"Commander Lee, how do you explain for your tardiness?" Captain Alexander Erickson inquired. "You're usually are quite punctual. What happened this time?"

"Sorry sir, I had trouble sleeping last night." Jonathan sheepishly replied. "As a result, I accidently overslept. Won't happen again sir."

Captain Erickson sternly looked at his deputy captain for a moment before smiling back at him. "That's ok commander, happens to everyone. You may take your post."

"Yes sir," Jonathan saluted back to his captain.

Just as he was turning to walk down to his designated console, he glanced upon a blueprint schematic display of the new ship he was currently serving on that was mounted on the wall: An Andromeda-class battleship, the 12th manned member of its class: the UNCF _Audacious_.  
Jonathan smiled to himself as he walked over to take his seat at the helm and navigation console located in the central forward area of the bridge. It was a dream come true to serve on one of the Cosmo Navy's most powerful class of space battleships. Her bigger and flashier aesthetic presence made _Audacious_ so much more appealing the D-class which suited his taste of ship designs. Although it admittingly had very similar interior features that the Dreadnought-class had, he felt more confident and secure in an Andromeda-class ship than he did in the former due to its superior firepower and durability. It also helped that unlike his time on the _Dover_, the _Audacious_ was commissioned in peace time, as the War with Gatlantis was over a year ago. A refreshing start after the hellish experience Jonathan had been through.

"All Fubuki-class frigates reported ready for one more warp jump to Garmillas Starbase 239," reported Johanna Gibson, a young comms officer who was of Korean descent and had long black hair and recently graduated from the Cosmo Navy Academy.

"Very good Ensign Gibson," said Captain Erickson. "Commander Lee, I trust that you already plotted the coordinates for the warp jump."

"Yes Captain," replied Jonathan as he keyed in on his touchscreen for the exit point of the warp jump. "Coordinates plotted and set."

"_Attention all hands, the ship will now enter warp navigation in one minute_." The ship's intercom speakers rang out throughout the ship. "_All crew members prepare for warp. Repeat, the ship will enter warp navigation in one minute. All crew members prepare to warp_."

"Wave motion engine pressure rising," reported Chief Engineer Yuzuru Fujimoto. "Engine pressure has reached critical point."

"Warping in five, four, three, two, one. WARP!" Jonathan pushed the lever upward on the helmsman console and immediately the _Audacious_, along with several other Fubuki-class escort frigates, accelerated to light speed leaving multiple golden ripples in their wake.

* * *

**_Garmillan Starbase 239_**

"Warp jump successful. No reported issues or incidents." Stated Jonathan after arriving at their destination. "All vessels within the battle group are present."

"Very good," said Captain Erickson. "Ensign Gibson hail the Garmillan starbase and transmit the clearance codes to permit us for docking."

"Aye sir," replied Johanna as she began contacting the Garmillan space station.

As Jonathan looked out of the bridge window, he started to take a closer inspection of the design of the gigantic Garmillan Starbase. The overall shape of the space station resembled a six-sided and triangular snowflake with its branching arms hosting several space docks for repairing or hosting ships. The centre core of the star base featured five transparent pyramid shaped domes that had Garmillan buildings inside them, with the arrangement having the biggest one in the middle and the other four smaller ones placed on each side of the former. Judging from the massive size of the space station, it was easy to tell that this was an important astro naval base for Garmillas, especially since few of their docks were big enough to hold large vessels such as the sole Zoellugut-class super-dreadnought that was berthed inside one of them.

"Damn, that is one big ship," remarked Johanna as she was in awe at the size of the super-dreadnought.

"Meh, its big alright but it doesn't have the firepower to match our own Cosmo battleships," scoffed Josiah Anton, the 18-year old tactical officer who also recently graduated from the Cosmo Navy Academy. "The only thing its good at is being a gigantic slow lumbering punching bag."

"Lieutenant Anton," Jonathan eyed the junior officer sharply. "Have some respect for your allied ships. Zoelgutt-class dreadnoughts may be slow and cumbersome to handle, but they're still valuable assets within the Garmillas fleet."

"Whatever," replied the junior officer cynically.

"UNCF Task Force 23 flagship _Audacious_, clearance codes are verified," came the voice of the Garmillan dock master from the comms. "You may proceed to docking bay 6B."  
"Take us in Mr. Lee," ordered Captain Erickson.

"Yes sir," replied Jonathan as he steered the vessel slowly and carefully into one of the space docks. Once inside, the docking clamps attached themselves to sections of the space battleship's hull and locked the vessel firmly in place. The rest of the ships of UNCF Task Force 23 quickly followed suit, concluding a month-long voyage from the Milly Way to the Large Magellanic Cloud which was just the start of a long deployment in deep space.

* * *

Minutes later, Jonathan and Captain Erickson entered inside the Garmillan starbase's auditorium hall, where a welcoming reception for the senior members of all the ships taking part of the interstellar exercise was being held. There were at least three dozen officers from both Garmillas and Earth that were present, all of which were in their dress uniforms for the occasion. One Garmillan officer took noticed of the newly arrivals and approached to greet the duo.  
"Welcome to Garmillan Starbase 239 Captain Erickson!" said the Garmillan captain.

"Von Henrik?" replied a surprised but pleased Erickson as he shook the Garmillan officer's hand. "Great to see you again! Still in command of the _Lunderberg_?"

"That I am," confirmed Von Henrik with a proud smile on his face. "Glad to see you survived the Gatlantean invasion on your home world. When I heard the news of how the UNCF fleet was nearly destroyed and defeated, I feared you were among the dead."

"No kidding," Erickson's face grew dark as he remembered those grim times. "Those green-skinned barbarians really threw everything they had at us. Their fleets were five times the sizes of those that we fought against last year during the Battle of Gliese 581."

"Damn," muttered Von Henrik.

Noticing the young deputy captain who kept himself quite throughout the exchange, Von Henrik decides to inquire of him.  
"Who's that deputy captain?"

"Oh him?" said Erickson. "He is my deputy captain on my new ship, the _Audacious_. He was formerly the tactical chief of the _Dover_ during the Gatlantean Invasion of the Terron Solar System."

Jonathan politely saluted and Von Henrik returns the favour with the typical Garmillan hand salute.  
"Pleased to meet you sir. Commander Jonathan Lee at your service."

"Colonel Von Henrik of the Haizerad-class battleship _Lunderberg_." Greeted the Garmillan commander.

"Haizerad-class?" Jonathan's formal expression dissolves into one of excitement upon recognition of the vessel's identification. "That's a sweet ship you got! We humans very rarely get to see those sleek Gamillan battleships in the Milky Way! Those barrel-turrets looked better than those of the older Gaiderol-class."

Von Henrik laughed at Jonathan's enthusiastic reaction. "Well you certainly do know your ships."  
"Commander Lee here is an enthusiast of space warships," explained Erickson. "It mostly stems from his old fascination of our planet's naval history."

"I see."

"Pardon me sir, do you have any Meltoria-class battlecruisers participating in the exercise?" asked Jonathan curiously. "Particular one that goes by the name _Reinicke's Fury_? EX-196?"

"Oh, you mean Captain Elrick's ship?" answered Von Henrik. "Yeah it is present and actually assigned to my task force. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," said Jonathan. "There is a friend of mine who I met that was assigned to that ship during the last war. Was hoping to get reacquainted with her if she's still aboard."

"She?" the Garmillan captain smirked at Jonathan as the latter's face went red with annoyance and slight embarrassment.

"It's not what you think it is!" protested Jonathan. "It's a just a normal friendship ok? Nothing of the romantic sort!"

Both captains chuckled at Jonathan's outburst.

"Relax Commander, he's just messing with you." Said an amused Erickson.

Despite his captain's assurance, Jonathan was still irked.

Just then, the auditorium's bell rang out, signally for everyone to take their seats. Jonathan and Captain Erickson found their respectful places and sat down. A few minutes later after everyone had settled down, a high ranking burly-looking Garmillan officer took the stage and began his speech.

"Greetings to my fellow Garmillans and our friends Terrons, my name is General Orto Dolmen, I would like to welcome you all to Garmillan Starbase 239 and to the very first Earth Garmillas Interstellar Bilateral Exercise."  
In response, the crowd of officers and enlisted men applauded in respect at Dolmen's greeting.

"As you all know a year ago," continued Dolmen. "Our greatest adversary, the Gatlantis Empire, was finally defeated after a four-year long struggle. Despite the millions of lives and thousands of ships lost though this costly victory, it was through our alliance between both Garmillas and Earth that we were able to prevail. Though peace has just settled in, we all cannot afford to completely let our guard down and demobilize our forces completely as there are still other unknown threats that could endanger our respected civilizations. Thus, continued cooperation between our forces is necessary to guarantee security and stability in the galaxy and beyond.  
Throughout the interstellar exercise, ships from both Garmillas and Earth will be mixed and split into three battle groups: The Earth Cosmo Navy battleship, the _Dauntless_ and her assigned escorts, will team up with Garmillas Astro Carrier Group 23 into the task force EGU-3 under Commodore Jack Davenport's command. Task force EGU-2 will be under the joint command of Colonel Franz Von Henrik of Garmillas, and Captain Alexander Erickson of Earth's Cosmo Navy with their respected ships under their command as duo flagships of the joint-group. Task force EGU-1 will be led by yours truly aboard the super-dreadnought _Württemberg_ with its escorts paired up with Cosmo Navy Cruiser Strike Group 146. In addition to our assigned mission objectives that each of our task forces are tasked to complete, we'll also conduct battle drills against a several Garmillas fleets that will act as enemy ships during the Interstellar Bilateral Exercise. Including Colonel Berger's task force."

Excited mummers could be heard throughout the auditorium as everyone knew the reputation of one of the late legendary Garmillas General Domel's protegees.  
_So, we're going up against one of the Crimson Camaraderie Battle Groups eh? _Jonathan grinned with anticipation._ This is going to be interesting._

General Dolmen cleared his throat which seemed to silence the enthusiastic whispers among the seated officers.  
"At the conclusion of the Interstellar Exercise, our ships will later rendezvous at Selazar System between Iscandar and Garmillas where a fleet review will be held by top brass members of both the Garmillas military and representatives from the Earth Federation. We'll also get an inspection by members of the Iscandar Royal Family as well. So be sure to make your ships spotless and clean by end of the war games to be fit for her highness. Any questions?"

With nobody responding after several seconds, Dolmen decided to conclude his briefing. "If there isn't any, I wish you all Godspeed! The fleet will depart the base an hour and a half's time. Be safe and fight hard. Dismiss!"

Dolmen salutes and the rest of the officers stand up to return the favor.

* * *

_A Note from the Author_

_Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of my first fan-fic!  
It took quite a while to finally post the first chapter as I am still writing and proof-reading the other current unreleased seven chapters I had made so far considering that my grammar and my vocabulary is weak._

_I was inspired by a role-playing thread on Sufficient Velocity, where an alternate story of Yamato 2202 featured UNCF and Garmillan commanders working together for the first time against various rebels factions of Garmillas and Gatlanteans. I was so impressed that I wondered, _'Why on earth there hasn't been many fanficiton stories of Yamato 2199/2202 here?'_ Especially considering it's one of the better sci-fi remakes of all time that even blows the Kelvin Timeline Trek films out of the water. So I decided to take a shot at making one myself, especially after being somewhat disappointed of the middle act of 2202._

_After brainstorming some ideas, I decided to work on the concept of a post-2202 story as the ending of 2202 had some loose ends to resolve and tons of potential paths to where the remake Yamato universe could go off next. I finally settled on the idea of a spinoff, with the main ship being of course an Andromeda-class ship, and the main cast of characters being middle-class ranking misfits from both Earth and Garmillas respectfully, rather than the usual elite officers and men on Yamato and other higher ranking ships that we usually see in 2202 and to a certain extent 2199. This was because I wanted to explore the world of remake Yamato from a more grounded and realistic perspective to restore the character-driven and world building story-telling elements that made 2199's story just more enjoyable to watch than 2202's extremely dense thematic storytelling._

_Hopefully, I would do it justice in making a worthy fanfiction story of this beloved franchise as I continue to upload more chapters in the future, as it is really very stressful for me to try to meet expectations of the fans of the series who would read it. Also, you might come across some certain minor and secondary characters from previous entries in the franchise along the way. Kudos to anyone who recognize the one in this chapter! _


	2. Old Friends

**Chapter 2 - Old Friends**

Half an hour following the briefing, Jonathan was eating at one of the cafeterias within the Garmillan starbase. As he was pondering over the details of interstellar exercise, one of the Cosmo Navy officers approached him.

"Hey Jonathan!"

Jonathan looked up from his dish to see a brown-haired English UNCF officer in his late 20s. He recognized him as Theodore Gregson, an old colleague from his days at the Cosmo Navy Academy in 2200.

"Oh, hi Theo! Just eating my brunch here. What're you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Theodore as he sat down on a chair opposite to Jonathan's at the table. "Just waiting for the _Dauntless_ to be prep for launch. Commodore Davenport is really thorough on making sure everything onboard is prep for combat. Even though Gatlantis is defeated, he still acts as if he is still at war."

"Not surprising," said Jonathan as he continued munching on his food. "The war ended barely a year ago. It's going to be a while till everyone's nerves settle down.

"Huh? Jonathan you're here too?" a familiar female voice spoke.

Jonathan turned his head to see a pretty and young Zalti female Garmillas officer with long coral brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"Anika!?"

"Nice to see you again old friend," smiled the female Zalti.

"You too!" Jonathan beamed as they both shook hands with each other. "Heard your ship was part of the exercise and was hoping to catch up with you."

"Who is that lovely friend of yours?" asked Theodore.

"Oh Theodore, this is Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer, helmsman of the Meltoria-class battlecruiser, _Reinicke's Fury_." replied Jonathan.

"Pleasure to meet you," greeted Anika politely with a pleasant smile as she raised her hand to shake Theodore's.

"Lieutenant Commander Theodore Gregson, Deputy Captain of the UNCF _Dauntless_." Theodore smiled warmly as he shook her hand.

"Ah so you're from that blue boxy Earth ship. A tad small for a battleship isn't it?"

Theodore chuckled at Anika's cheeky remark about his ship. "Miss Welmer, the _Dauntless_ may be small as your Garmillan cruisers, but she packs a punch that rivals ships that're twice her size."

"So I heard," replied Anika. "Although a few Cosmo Navy officers also shares my sediment. Am I right Jonathan? You also said the same thing when you got assigned to the _Dover_."

Turning to Jonathan, Anika saw that his face now featured a sad frown in contrast to his previous cheery self.

"Jonathan?" asked a concerned Anika. "You're okay? Did I said something wrong?"

"Anika, the _Dover_ went down during the Battle of the Mars Defence Line," explained Theodore briefly as he tried his best not to distress his companion further. "He hasn't taken it well."

"I see, sorry for asking about it. My condolences," Anika replied softly in a sympathetic tone. "I heard many Earth ships were destroyed during the Battles of Saturn and Mars. Was worried that you were among the fallen. Glad that you've survived."

"Survived huh?" mumbled Jonathan to himself.

Realizing the gloomy atmosphere that is existing between the three, Anika decided to switch the topic in hopes of changing the mood.

"So Jonathan," said Anika as she pulls a chair to the table to sit with the two Cosmo Navy officers. "What ship are you assigned to now? Is it one of the old Kongo-class ships again or those new Wave Motion escort ships?"

A small but smug grin soon formed on Jonathan's face. "Guess again Anika."

"Hmmm, it can't be the _Dauntless_ since your rank is now Commander and Mr. Gregson is already her deputy captain," Anika thought aloud to herself. "The only other probable Earth ship in the exercise is-"  
Her eyes widen in shock upon realizing which ship her friend stationed was on. "Wait, is it actually the…"

"Yup, the Andromeda-class space battleship, UNCF _Audacious_," Jonathan smiled proudly. "Apparently the top brass was impressed by my actions during the Gatlantean assault on Mars that they promoted me to be the deputy captain of a brand-new Andromeda-class vessel. Although I don't agree with the reasoning behind my new post, I couldn't resist serving on one of those beautiful works of modern naval art."

Anika giggled at Jonathan's dreamy remarks about his new ship. "You haven't changed a bit Jonathan, always the fun-loving warship nerd."

"You should have seen him when he learnt of his posting aboard on the _Audacious_," said Theodore. "He wouldn't go two seconds without bragging about it. He even bet on his Garmillas Astro Navy Museum ticket that his ship could reach this base faster than my Dreadnought."

"Oh really? That's interesting," a big mischievous grin soon formed on Anika's face. "My ship was one of the first to arrive and I clearly remember seeing a blue Dreadnought arriving way before any Andromeda arrived at the starbase..."

_Oh crap! I hoped Theodore didn't remember that bet!_ Thought Jonathan as his face twitched in embarrassment and guilt as he was caught red-handed.  
"T-t-echnically I should have won," stammered Jonathan as he tried to defend himself. "I had trouble sleeping prior to the last warp jump and overslept! If that didn't happen, the _Audacious_ would have gotten here first by a long shot!"

"Ah no, the bet was made to see which ship could arrive first at the starbase," stated Theodore with a smug smile on his face. "Regardless of human error or technical problems, _you lost_ _fair and square_!"

Jonathan shot a glare at Anika who smiled innocently back at him.

"Don't look at me. You're the one who made the bet."

"Ugh damn it! You just had to remind him..." muttered Jonathan as he took out a very fancy decorated ticket and gave it to Theodore who smugly put it in his pocket.

"Anyway, how did you two meet?" asked Theodore.

"Oh we both met about nearly three years ago during the Outer Perseus Campaign," replied Anika. "Back then he was serving on board the Kongo-class battleship _Indefatigable _and I was aboard a Destoria-class heavy cruiser."

"Our ships were assigned to the same joint task-force for about nearly eight months," Jonathan elaborated. "During that period, we undertook several patrols and skirmishes against the Gatlanteans with planetary colony rescue operations in-between them. Anika and I met dozens of times during those missions."

"I see," replied Theodore. "And did you guys ever date during that time?"

Anika's face lit up in surprise while Jonathan just simply narrowed his eyes in annoyance at Theodore's gossipy inquire.

"What!? No!" Anika said defensively. "We never did anything romantic at all. We're just good friends."

"Precisely," added Jonathan as he rolled his eyes. "We kept our friendship _professional_ and _platonic_. Why does everyone always think about such scuttlebutt gossip stories? First that Garmillan captain and now you?"

"Eh!?" exclaimed Anika, her face turning pink with embarrassment. "A Garmillan captain said that? Who!?"

"Von Henrik of the _Lunderburg_." Jonathan flatly replied.

"Seriously? The captain of the Haizerad in my task force!?" Anika exclaimed hysterically. "HOW!?"

"He simply inquired why I asked whether your ship was among the Garmillan vessels participating in the exercise," answered Jonathan. "And then he made that teasing remark once I told him that I was hoping to get reacquainted with you."

"Jonathan, you should have been more discreet," groaned Anika. "If this senseless rumor gets out among the ships of my battle group, I am going to be the center of gossip of the entire task force!"

"My bad," Jonathan remorsefully apologized. "Maybe I should have just checked the interstellar exercise's list of the ships present-"

Before Jonathan could finish his sentence, both he and Anika took notice of Theodore, who was trying his hardest to contain his uncontrollable laughter.

"Sorry!" muttered Theodore as his stifles a chuckle. "Your faces were absolutely priceless!"

Anika and Jonathan stared coldly back at Theodore, who was laughing out loud at their reaction. Eventually, Anika and Jonathan's firm gaze broke started laughing alongside Theodore upon realizing the hilarity of the situation.

"Look at us," chuckled Jonathan. "People would think we're bunch of high schoolers."

As the trio tried to catch their breath, the PA speaker made an announcement. "_Attention please, may Lieutenant Commander Theodore Gregson please report to the UNCF _Dauntless _at docking bay 3C. Repeat, may Lieutenant Commander Theodore Gregson please report to the UNCF _Dauntless _at docking bay 3C_."

"Sorry guys, duty calls," said Theodore as he sat up. "Be seeing you two later, and oh and Jonathan. When the exercise is done, be sure to check the leader board of the Cosmo Navy ships' performances. Because the _Dauntless_ is going to be at the very top!"

Jonathan smirked back at his friend. "Nah, the _Audacious_ is going to own this exercise. You can count on it!"

"With that crew of freshly graduated cadets you have on board? I don't think so!" scoffed Theodore. "Remember, experience outweighs everything!"

Jonathan laughed nervously at Theodore's comeback. "We'll see. Good luck Theo!"

"You too!" replied Theodore before turning to Anika to bid the Zalti young lady a farewell salute.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jonathan and Anika were casually chatting with each other as they walked through one of the long windowed hallways of the Garmillan starbase.

"By the way, how did your mission at the Garmillas/Bolar border go after we parted ways?" asked Jonathan.

"Not great," replied Anika. "My ship was one of many to escort a Garmillan Diplomatic team to negotiate an alliance with the Bolar Federation to help us fight against Gatlantis. Unfortunately, they didn't agree despite being under constant attacks from the Gatlanteans for two years in a row."

"How come?" said Jonathan. "With the Gatlanteans being such a formidable threat, surely they would have joined our alliance to fight those cold-killing barbarians."

"Aside from our history of fighting against them prior to _Yamato_'s incursion into the Large Magellanic Cloud. From what I heard, the Bolars had their own agendas which were quite worrisome and didn't even bother sharing intel on the interactions with the Gatlanteans. Also, ideological differences between our political representatives and theirs put them at odds." answered Anika.

"Shame, we could have really used them to beat Gatlantis during the Battles at Saturn and Mars," said Jonathan.

"About that Jonathan, I really wished my ship could have made it back to the Terron Solar System and fight the Gatlanteans with the rest of the fleet," said Anika. "Sure, we had a few skirmishes with the enemy during our mission, but honestly I think it would have been better to be in the middle of the action rather than babysitting some diplomats."

"Don't be so sure Anika," replied Jonathan solemnly. "It wasn't like the Battles of the Kelpier System, Zaltz, or that Floating Continent where the first _Andromeda_ made her debut. There were legions of Calaklum-class battleships and Gostok missile ships."

"I read the reports Jonathan, and I think we would have been able to handle it," replied Anika confidently. "As one of the best helmsman in the Garmillas Navy, I probably could have dodged whatever Gatlantis threw at-"

"You wouldn't have made it!" snapped Jonathan.

Realizing he had startled Anika with his unexpected outburst, Jonathan composed himself for a few seconds and apologized. "Sorry, but you wouldn't have survived long. Especially in a Meltoria, regardless of how good your crew is."

Anika looked at Jonathan with concern and saw his face was pale with terror with his hands trembling discreetly.

"Was it really that bad?" she asked sincerely.

"I don't want to talk about it now," Jonathan replied quietly.

"Ok," said Anika, deciding it was best not to approach that sensitive matter again.

An awkward silence formed between the two, prompting Anika to change the topic.

"I was just wondering, Mr. Gregson mentioned something about having a crew of freshy graduated cadets aboard your ship. I thought Andromeda-class ships were usually assigned experienced crews since they were the top ships of Earth's Cosmo Navy Fleet."

"Well that was true back when we only had the first five Andromedas," replied Jonathan. "However, when the fleet expanded massively, no thanks to the Time-Fault factory, we had a severe lack of experienced hands to distribute among our best vessels. AI automation helped to solve the problem partially, but there were some among the Cosmo Navy's top brass that still wanted several ships to be manned by people. When the war ended, there was a major shuffle of personnel among the manned fleet. Survivors of fallen vessels, particularly officers like me, were redistributed among our current fleet of manned vessels to act as senior or commanding officers, while the newly graduated cadets of the Cosmo Navy Academy filled in the remaining ranks of the ships' crews. Even then, our manpower is stretched thin."

"Huh, we had that same problem too for quite some time," commented Anika. "Our solution was to use either Garmaroids, or in the disbanded Imperial Guard's case, thousands of clones to man their ships."

"Clones? Huh, that's an interesting alternative to automation and AI technology," replied Jonathan.

"Well clones are still a bit of a double-edged sword," reflected Anika. "It all depends how they were raised and trained I suppose. The Imperial Guard's personnel were often arrogant and ignorant."

"I guess that's true, considering what I heard about them," agreed Jonathan.

Realizing they had arrived at the _Audacious'_ docking bay checkpoint, Jonathan turned to Anika to bid farewell.

"Well I guess this is where I take my leave," said Jonathan. "I'll see you later, it was nice catching up with you Anika."

"You too," nodded Anika in agreement as they shook hands. "Although we'll probably meet again sooner since our ships are assigned to the same battle group."

"True," Jonathan smiled enthusiastically. "Anyway, we got an exercise to participate. Can't wait to go up against Colonel Berger's _Neu Balgrey_ and beat that legendary Garmillan commander! If we're assigned to tackle her of course!"

"Berger, ah yes," replied Anika half-heartily. "I can't wait."

Not noticing Anika's change in tone, Jonathan waved goodbye and walked towards the departure gate that led to his ship. Once he disappeared from her view, Anika's smile faded into a forlorn expression as she walked away in the opposite direction. Stopping near a wall, she leaned her side on it and sighed.

"It had to be him eh?" she whispered to herself.

Just then, the comms transmitter attached to her ear started buzzing. Tapping the transmitter, Anika answered the call. "Lt. Cmdr. Welmer here."

"_Oh, hey Anika, this is Otto_," said the voice on the comms transmitter. "_Captain wants the entire crew back on the_ Reinicke's Fury _in the next fifteen minutes. We're going to be launching soon._"

"Thanks Sub-lieutenant Geiszler," Anika replied. "I'll be right there shortly."

* * *

Stepping onto the bridge of the _Audacious_, Jonathan found that everyone else had already returned to the ship and promptly took his seat at the forward central console.

"Welcome back Commander Lee," said Captain Erickson. "I trust your R&R aboard the Garmillan starbase went well."

"Yes it did sir," Jonathan smiled back at his commanding officer.

"Did you meet up with that friend of yours?" asked Erickson.

"Oh, er yes," Jonathan quickly replied, hoping that his captain would drop that subject. "Also met another friend of mine from the _Dauntless_ who thinks that his Dreadnought can outperform us in the war games."

"Is that so?" said Erickson. "I guess we've some friendly competition to beat. But I am pretty sure the _Audacious_ is more than a match for some mere Dreadnought. Am I right men?"

"Yes Captain!" exclaimed Ensign Anton exuberantly, which resulted in chuckles from a few members of the bridge staff.

Erickson smiled, even though most his crew might be fresh rookies, they did have spirit.  
"Alright men look lively, we got an exercise to run. Ensign Gibson hail the starbase's dock master to request permission to depart. Chief Engineer Fujimoto, report status of the engines."

"Wave motion core is at full power capacity," replied Fujimoto. "Main and auxiliary engines are powering up and functioning normally."

"Captain, we've gotten permission from the dock master to depart," informed Johanna from the comms console. "Docking Bay controls have been transferred to our navigation computers."

"Excellent, Jonathan initiate the launch sequence," ordered Erickson.

"Aye sir, releasing the gantry locks," said Jonathan as he tapped several functions on his touch-pad dashboard. "All moorings retracted. Engaging auxiliary engines to one-quarter power, going ahead slow."

"_Audacious_ launch!" exclaimed Erickson.

With its four Kelvin Impulse engines glowing hot yellow, the mighty Andromeda-class battleship slowly emerged out of the spacedock like a majestic grey and red dragon with cream-white markings leaving its lair. As it cleared away from the Garmillan Starbase, dozens of vessels also began to leave the massive space station and organizing themselves into their respected formations and battle groups. The green _Lunderberg_ exited out of its dock and pulls right behind the _Audacious_, with the _Reinicke's Fury_, and four other Destoria-class heavy cruisers trailing behind the Haizerad-class battleship following suit. The smaller escort ships, Kelkapia-class strike cruisers and Fubuki-class frigates, grouped into two single-file lines that sandwich the column of larger ships that run parallel to the latter.

"We're clear of Garmillan Starbase 239, all ships of the task force are in position," reported Jonathan as he steadily steered the vessel into its formation. "Main engine igniting and accelerating to 25 space knots."

"Captain, Task Forces EGU-1 and EGU-3 have also left the Garmillan starbase," informed Midshipman Olson Eddie who oversaw the radar and sensors console. "They're coming alongside our task force from the starboard side."

"Put it on the main viewer," ordered Erickson.

The view screen on the bridge materialized a wide landscape-like view showing an impressive sight: The colossal Zoellugut-class battleship _Württemberg_ was escorted by an equally large and impressive group of ships that included two Haizerad-class battleships, four Meltorias, three Kongos, and nearly fifty escort ships from both Earth and Garmillas respectfully; Far in the distance, the _Dauntless_ could be seen with two Guipellion multi-deck carriers and a screening force of forty-six ships which made up the whole composition of Task Force EGU-3. Even though Jonathan knew that the size of the three battle groups weren't big as the large allied fleets that were assembled during the Gatlantean War, it was still a formidable force to be reckon with.

"Captain, we've received the coordinates for our area of operations," reported Johanna. "They're located near the outskirts of the Large Magllenic Cloud at sector NGC 1770. Sending it to the navigation console."

"Coordinates received," said Jonathan as he inputted the directions for the ship's warp exit point. "Course plotted and set."

"Attention all hands, the ship will now enter warp navigation in one minute." The ship's intercom speakers rang out throughout the ship. "All crewmembers prepare for warp. Repeat, the ship will enter warp navigation in one minute. All crewmembers prepare to warp."

While Jonathan waited for the rest of the crew and the ships in the battle group to prepare for the warp jump, a sudden ominous chill came up his spine. A sense of dread and malice that he hadn't felt since the end of the Gatlantean War. Worried that his premonition might be right, Jonathan stood up from his dashboard readings and frantically looked outside the bridge's windows, scanning the entire view his eyes could see.

"Commander Lee is everything alright?" asked Erickson, who had caught notice of his executive officer's unusual behavior.

Jonathan continued to stare out into space and glancing at every direction the windows' view could offered him. But he saw nothing to suggest that something hostile was lurking nearby.

"Captain, could you permit a full scan of this area with all our sensors and surveillance equipment?" asked Jonathan. "I think there might be something out here that is watching us, though I can't be certain."

Erickson pondered in his command chair whether to accept his XO's request. He had read the reports that Jonathan was injured and traumatized from the Battle at the Mars Defensive Border while he was on the _Dover_. But according to the medical officials, he had managed to recover quickly and was cleared to duty in less than a month. Was his deputy captain's judgement still impaired? Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to do a short sensor sweep of the area just to be safe.

"Very well Commander," Erickson finally replied. "Midshipman Eddie, commence a long-range sensor sweep of the area with both radars and the dimensional sonar for thirty seconds. Better be safe than sorry."

"Aye captain," said Eddie. "Starting radar and sonar sweep. I am putting it up on the main display now."

Looking up at the main panel, Jonathan saw two separate displays both representing the scopes of the radar's and space sonar's perspective. On the radar display, three distinctive groups of green and blue dots which represented the allied ships can easily identified along with a snowflake shape icon that represented Garmillan Starbase 239. The entire bridge staff went silent as the radar and the sonar tried to pick up any suspicious or hostile contact.

"Aside from some faint gaseous anomalies, I don't see any ship or any contact aside from our allied ships and the starbase that is suspicious or a hostile threat," reported Eddie. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Jonathan continued to look up at the displays featured on the main panel, still feeling unconvinced that there wasn't any threat out there.

"Happy now deputy captain?" said an annoyed Eddie. "We can't stay here for long as we got an exercise to run!"

Sensing impatience and exasperation from the rest of his bridge staff, Jonathan sighed and decided to move on. The other ships of the task force were also probably wondering why the _Audacious_ hasn't left yet.

"Yeah sorry about that, we can leave now," replied Jonathan. "Resuming warp jump protocols."

"Flywheel running at max RPM. Wave motion engine pressure rising," reported Fujimoto. "Engine pressure has reached critical point."  
"Warping in five, four, three, two, one."

Jonathan pushed up the accelerator lever which fired up the _Audacious'_ wave motion engine at full thrust, sending the mighty ship into warp. Mere moments later, the rest of the Task Force EGU-2 also jumped right after the _Audacious_, putting up a beautiful display of golden and crimson ripples of cosmo energy in their wake.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_So yeah, two chapter uploads in less than two days. I felt it was logical to do so because the first and second chapter blends well as an introduction to the story. Not sure if I am going to stick to this double chapter upload pattern._

_The envisioned design I have for Garmillan Starbase 239 is based on __the aesthetics of __Baleras II__ from 2199 though it is smaller than the belated capital space city. And yes, layout of the facility inspired by the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek Films' Earth Spacedock but using a hexagon shape instead of a circular layout._

_If you haven't noticed, the escort frigate of the UNCF, which wasn't named in the 2202 anime for whatever reason, is given the name _Fubuki _after the revolutionary class of destroyers built by Japan in the late 1920s which outclassed every other ship of it's type during its time and became formidable assets within the Imperial Japanese Navy well into the years of World War II. Considering that the escort frigate is such a huge step up in terms of firepower and mobility compared to it's predecessor, the Isokaze-class space destroyers (which was pretty much a torpedo boat like most destroyers prior to the actual Fubuki), I thought it would be suitable to give the former that name. Size of the escort ships are 125 meters long instead of the official 113.3 meters because the latter length was a tad too small IMO._

_Well that's it for now, I'll probably upload the next few chapters either once in three weeks or a month. So see you in the next chapter and enjoy this list of the ships within the Earth-Garmillas Interstellar Bilateral Exercise below! _

**Task Forces and Ships* of the 2204 Earth Garmillas Interstellar Bilateral Exercise:**

**Earth-Garmillas Unit (EGU) Task Force-1**  
Task Force Commander: General Orto Dolmen  
1x Zoellugut-class dreadnought – _Württemberg_ (Gen. Dolmen)  
2x Haizerad-class battleships  
4x Meltoria-class battlecruisers  
3x Kongo-class battleships - _Thunderchild_  
12x Destoria-class heavy cruisers  
2x Edinburgh-class patrol/IEWCS cruisers - _Glasgow _  
16x Kelkapia-class strike cruisers  
6x Fubuki-class escort frigates - _Porter and __Michishio_  
24x Kripitera-class destroyers

**Earth-Garmillas Unit (EGU) Task Force-2:**  
Task Force Commanders: Captain Alexander Erickson and Colonel Franz Von Henrik  
1x Andromeda-class battleship – _Audacious _(Cpt. Erickson)  
1x Haizerad-class battleship – _Lunderberg _(Col. Von Henrik)  
1x Meltoria-class battlecruisers – _Reinicke's Fury_ EX-196  
4x Destoria-class heavy cruisers  
12x Kelkapia-class strike cruisers  
6x Fubuki-class escort frigates: _Hatsuyuki_, _Fanning_, _Kashmir_, _Gerfaut_, _Havant_, and _Foudroyant_

**Earth-Garmillas Unit (EGU) Task Force-3:  
**Task Force Commander: Commodore James Davenport  
1x Dreadnought-class battleship – _Dauntless _(Cmdre. Davenport)  
2x Guipellion-class tri-deck carriers  
4x Meltoria-class battlecruisers  
2x Edinburgh-class patrol/AWCS cruiser – _Manchester _and _Southampton_  
8x Destoria-class heavy cruisers  
16x Kelkapia-class strike cruisers  
16x Fubuki-class escort frigates – _Interceptor, __Javelin, Monssen, Ikazuchi, Shinonome, and Barton. _

_*Note that not all vessels are named within this story._


	3. Courses Collide

**Chapter 3 - When Courses Collide**

**_19th October 2204 - LMC Sector NGC-1770_**

Following the departure from Garmillan Starbase 239, task force EGU-2 had arrived on station near a massive asteroid field at Sector NGC-1770. Leading the small fleet was the _Reinicke's Fury_, two Destorias, six Kelkapia-class strike cruisers, and two Fubuki-class frigates. In the middle of the formation were the two battleships: _Audacious_ and _Lunderberg_ respectfully. Finally guarding the rear was the remaining escorting ships: two Destorias, six Kelkapias, and four Fubukis.

"This is Captain Erickson of the _Audacious_, Fubuki-class frigates _Hatsuyuki_ and _Kashmir_ follow and support the vanguard of Garmillan cruisers on their attack run on the enemy targets. Osprey squadron provide air cover for the fleet and scout and pinpoint long-range targets for our guns to hit," ordered Erickson. "Commence flight operations!"

Inside the battleship's fighter hangar, the rotatory-starfighter delivery system began bringing down Cosmo Tiger IIs one by one to be launched by the catapult. The first spacecraft had a turquoise and white paint scheme with yellow markings which indicated it belonged to the belated _Apollo Norm_'s fighter squadron. As the fighter was propelled backwards into space, 22-year-old flight leader Kaito Asuka steadied his personal Cosmo Tiger II with its retro-thrusters before flying off into the distance and awaited the rest of his pilots to join him. Seven minutes later, six other Cosmo Tiger IIs formed up from both sides of Kaito's spacecraft in rows of three on each side which formed a perfect V formation.

"Audacious Command, this is Osprey Leader," reported Kaito from his cockpit. "All fighters accounted for, moving in to cover the vanguard group."

With a twist of the joystick, his Cosmo Tiger II, along with the other six members of his squadron, banked left in the direction of the Garmillan cruisers and the two Cosmo Navy frigates that were now charging towards the asteroid field.

* * *

Aboard the _Reinicke's Fury_, Captain Hans Elrick stood firmly as he watched the exercise's first mission unfold. With the cruisers and two frigates in position, it was time to unleash a volley of missiles at their designated targets. Although he was slightly dissatisfied that they were basically shooting at space rocks rather than actual ships, they were still part of the mission's objective which he was obliged to follow.

"Captain Elrick, all ships have their missiles and torpedoes locked on to the targets" reported his first officer.

"Commence firing!" ordered Elrick.

"Aye sir!" replied the weapons officer. "Torpedo tubes one through six have successfully launched!"

A vibration could be felt on the floor as six torpedoes were ejected out of the forward tubes and flew towards their targets in perfect harmony, alongside nearly a hundred missiles that streaked towards the asteroid belt. Two minutes later, dozens of detonations could be seen in the distance as the asteroid field like fireworks going off in the horizon.

"All torpedoes have struck their targets!" reported Sub Lieutenant Otto Geiszler from the radar console, a junior Garmillan officer with slightly messy brown hair who wore rectangle glasses. "At least seventy-nine percent of all the ships' missiles have confirmed to hit their designated targets."

"Excellent, now we're going to swoop in and finish the rest," said Elrick with small but satisfied smile on his face.

Turning to the comms officer, Elrick nodded his head to his subordinate who promptly active a wide broadcast call for the captain to give orders to the rest of the vanguard ships. "All Garmillan cruisers and Earth frigates, begin the blitz attack run and follow our lead!"

Looking at the direction of his helm officer, he gave Anika a simple command. "Lieutenant Commander Welmer, you may indulge yourself."

Anika nodded at her captain with a huge grin on her face. "With pleasure sir! Hang on tight guys, we're going in!"

At the controls of Anika's fingertips, the _Reinicke's Fury_ shot forward like a cheetah and sprinted towards the asteroid field with the Garmillan cruisers and the two Earth frigates following closely behind. As the charging vanguard ships moved in closer to their prey, three modified and autonomous Polmeria-class astro assault carriers, which were hiding among the asteroids, launched swarms of Garmillan drone spacecrafts from their hangers and were directed to intercept the attacking ships.

* * *

"_Osprey Leader, we're picking up training autonomous Garmillan target drones emerging from the asteroid field_," came the voice of Captain Erickson from the radio within Kaito's cockpit. "_Intercept and destroy them before they approach our cruisers and frigates too close for comfort!_"

"Copy that Audacious command," replied the flight leader. "All wings, shoot those AI boomerangs out of the sky!"

"_Roger_!" replied all six of his pilots, as the seven Cosmo Tigers II activated their afterburners and accelerated ahead of the vanguard ships to meet their opponents.

Seconds later, the six fighters slashed through the swarm of Garmillan drones with their pulse lasers and machine guns blazing. Kaito succeeded in taking out five in rapid succession as he weaved and dodged the incoming fire of the drones' own weapons. Though they armed with harmless EMP laser guns, a single hit could render a space fighter's weapons and fire control systems offline.

"_Commander_," cried one of the Cosmo Tiger II pilots via the radio of Kaito's cockpit. "_Eight drones have broken though! They're heading for the cruisers_!"

"Copy that," replied Kaito. "You guys handle the rest, I am going after them."

Bringing his Cosmo Tiger II around, Kaito chased after the eight drones that were attempting a bombing run on the approaching vanguard ships. However, before he could bring his gun sights on one of the drones. It and two others exploded into pieces by a burst of pulse lasers fired from above them to their right.  
Kaito looked to the source of the pulse laser fire and saw another Cosmo Tiger II, diving down on the drones at high speed like an eagle ready to catch its helpless prey. The agile craft pulled out of its dive, performed high G-turn to the right and flew alongside Kaito's Cosmo Tiger II.

"Oi, Osprey Two," yelled Kaito. "I told you to handle the other drones near the asteroid field! And watch where you're going!"

"_Sorry Osprey leader," _replied a cheery female voice on the radio. "_I thought you could use a wingman to help you out with those drones that broke though. Besides the others got the other drones covered._"

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but no thanks," replied Kaito sternly as his spacecraft moved behind another drone. "I got this handled."

At the slight pull of the trigger, a burst of pulse lasers ripped though his target and the drone immediately exploded. But before Kaito could take a breath, another one pulled up from behind his Cosmo Tiger II forcing him to take evasive action as the drone opened fire. As Kaito weaved left and right to shake off his pursuer, the other Cosmo Tiger II got behind the drone's 6 o'clock and ripped it to pieces with a quick burst of pulse lasers.

"_Are you sure you don't need any assistance?_" asked Osprey Two cheekily. "_I may be a rookie, but that doesn't mean I can't keep up with veterans like you._"

Kaito sighed, although this rookie was a bit too brash for his liking, he was interested to see her piloting skills.

"If you can destroy more drones that I can, I'll consider it. Just don't get yourself killed."

"_YES SIR!_" exclaimed Osprey Two.

Before Kaito could blink, Osprey Two's Cosmo Tiger II suddenly fired up its engines and went after one of the drones. A split second later, the fighter fired another quick burst of pulse lasers, killing its next target.

"_Ninth drone down!_" yelled Osprey Two. "_Try to keep up leader!_"

_Wait, nine kills already!?_ Kaito hadn't anticipated the rookie to already outscore him by two kills. _Oh, this is so on!_ Kaito thought as he also floored his Cosmo Fighter II in hot pursuit of the remaining two drones.

* * *

Aboard the _Reinicke's Fury_, Anika was watching in amusement as the two Cosmo Tiger IIs deployed by the _Audacious_ wrangled with each other for kills. The last drone that was shot down seemed to have be taken down by both fighters simultaneously. With the last of the AI spacecraft down, the two Cosmo Tiger IIs made a sharp bank to the left, passing by the Garmillan battlecruiser before flying back to the asteroid field in search of more targets to eliminate.

"Amazing," muttered Anika. "Those drones didn't even come close to our ship!"

"Impressive," added the weapons officer. "Admiral Dietz's daughter wasn't kidding when she said that the humans have extremely skilled pilots!"

"Cut the chatter men," said Captain Elrick sternly. "We still got targets to eliminate. Are we all in flanking position of those targets?"

"Yes captain," replied the weapons officer. "All vanguard ships are in position. Fire control of positron beam turrets are locked on!"

"Open fire!"

At the command of Captain Elrick, the barrel and non-barrel triple turrets of the Meltoria-class battlecruiser unleashed broadside salvos of red positron beams of energy into the asteroids, blowing them up into smaller space debris. The rest of the Garmillan and the Earth ships follow suit, firing salvos of shock cannon and positron energy beams into the asteroid field.  
However, the space rocks were not completely defenseless to the slaughter. Like the drones, some of the asteroids were also armed with low-intensity laser cannons. Several of the harmless beams managed to hit a few of the Garmillan ships which rendered them unable to continue the simulated battle, forcing them to withdraw. The _Reinicke's Fury_ on the other hand was able to dodge the incoming laser fire from the asteroids with ease thanks to Anika's skills at the helm, and retaliated by destroying more of the weakly armed asteroids in return with her cannons.

* * *

Back on the _Audacious_, Erickson awaited the results of the vanguard group's blitz attack. Seconds later, a voice transmitted call was broadcasted to bridge's speakers.

"_This is Captain Elrick from the _Reinicke's Fury_ reporting to the _Lunderburg_ and _Audacious," said Elrick. "_Seventy-six percent of the enemy targets were eliminated in the blitz attack. Our own 'losses' include one badly damaged Destoria, three Kelkapias reported 'sunk', and the Earth frigate _Kashmir_ which has taken 'moderate damage'. Also, my compliments to _Audacious'_ fighter squadron for providing excellent cover for our ships._"

"We'll send them your regards," Erickson replied politely.

"_This is Captain Von Henrik of the_ Lunderburg," came the voice of the commanding officer of the Haizerad-class battleship on the subspace radio. "_Vanguard ships and fighter squadron shall now withdraw to let the battleships finish off the 'enemy fleet'_."

"Finally," muttered an exasperated Josiah. "About time we got some part of the action. Honestly our ship's weapons could take out a potential enemy fleet single handily! Especially if we could use our wave motion gun!"

"Ensign Anton," Jonathan narrowed his eyes at the junior weapons officer. "Let our allies do their jobs and keep your comments to yourself."

"Aye sir," replied Josiah nonchalantly.

"Captain, our Cosmo Tiger IIs are returning to the ship, but there are two pilots who seem to be rather preoccupied," reported Eddie as he pulled up a display screen on the main monitor.

Featured on the large view screen was a simulated 3D grid of the battlefield which displayed the asteroid field, the three unmanned Polmeria-class astro assault carriers and a dozen target drones that were glowing in red which were rapidly decreasing in number as two Cosmo Tiger IIs, represented by green icons, massacred the drones left and right as they danced between the asteroids like sharks trying to chase down a school of helpless fish in a tight coral reef.

"Hail them and order them to return to the ship," instructed Erickson. "They've got two minutes before the _Audacious_ and _Lunderburg_ starts firing their main guns."

"I'm on it sir," replied Johanna as she slipped on headphones and patched through to the Cosmo Tiger IIs' radio frequency.  
Before she could instruct the two pilots to head back to the ship, she was overwhelmed by the intense banter between the two pilots.

"_And another one bites the dust!_" yelled Osprey Two. "_That's eighteen!_"

"_Nice try rookie_," scoffed Kaito. "_I'm on twenty-on_e_!_"

"_Eh!? That doesn't count_," complained Osprey Two. "_That drone you shot collided with another! So that's twenty_!"

"_It's called a maneuver-kill Osprey Two_," replied Kaito smugly.

"_Aww, but just wait till I get to twenty-three_!" shot back Osprey Two. "_Damn this drone is really sprightly, but not good enough to evade me! There! Nineteenth drone down_!"

"_Not bad, but you still need two more kills to match my score_," commented Kaito drily. "_And it just so happens that there are exactly two drones left out of the entire swam. Think you can beat me to them?_"

"_Of course_," replied Osprey Two cheerfully. "_It will be like shooting fish in a barrel_."

"Er hello?" said Johanna awkwardly into the Cosmo Tiger II's radio channel. "Pardon for the interruption, but the captain has ordered all fighters to return to the ship immediately."

* * *

_Oh crap!_ Thought Kaito as his face went white as sheet. _I was so preoccupied with this shootout that I forgot that the battleships have yet to take their turn in the exercise!_

"Sorry for losing track of time!" replied Kaito apologetically. "Osprey Leader and Osprey Two returning back to the ship!"

Swinging his Cosmo Tiger II around, Kaito flew out of the asteroid field and started making his way back to the Audacious. However, the other Cosmo Tiger II, piloted by Osprey Two, was still chasing the last two Garmillan drones.

"Osprey Two get back to the _Audacious_!" ordered Kaito, who noticed his wingman had stayed behind.

"_Just a few more seconds_," replied Osprey Two. "_I almost have them!_"

"Osprey Two, disengage and return back to the ship!" yelled Kaito. "That's an order!"

"_Osprey Leader_," came the voice of Captain Erickson. "_Is there something wrong with one of your pilots?_"

"Sorry sir, she is a bit too enthusiastic about eliminating all the drones," replied Kaito before switching the channel back to the Osprey Squadron's radio frequency. "Osprey Two get back immediately, its not worth going after a few brainless drones for this long. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you should have run out of ammo by now."

Inside Osprey Two's cockpit, the female pilot looked down carefully at her weapon's display and sure enough, her ammo load-out of both her laser cannons and bullets had indeed been expended.

"Oh! So sorry," apologized Osprey Two sheepishly. "Osprey Two returning back to the ship."

The second Cosmo Tiger II pulled away from behind the drones and swung around one of the asteroids on its way back to the _Audacious_.

"_When we get back, you and I are going to have a chat regarding your conduct immediately,_" came the stern voice of Kaito from the radio of Osprey Two's cockpit.

"Aye sir," replied Osprey Two dejectedly as she flew her way out of the asteroid field.

* * *

"Captain, Osprey Two has finally turned around and is heading back to the fleet," reported Eddie.

"Good," replied Erickson. "Once Osprey Two is clear of the asteroid field, we'll commence firing on our targets. Mr. Anton, are the forward shock cannon turrets primed and locked on target?"

"Already done it five minutes ago Captain," replied Josiah flatly, clearly displeased by the delay.

"Very well," said Erickson as he looked up at the display which showed Osprey Two's fighter just several seconds from exiting the asteroid field. "Prepare to fire in seven, six, five, four, three-"

Before Erickson could finish reciting the countdown, Josiah bluntly activated a command on the fire control systems display which triggered the forward 406mm convergent compression-type shock cannon turrets to fire prematurely.

"NOT YET DAMN IT!" bellowed Erickson as the _Audacious_' shock cannons erupted their destructive energy towards the asteroid field.

* * *

Inside the cockpit of Osprey Two, Konno Yashiro widened her eyes in horror as she saw six bluish-white beams soaring straight at her direction. She immediately dove her Cosmo Tiger II down just barely avoiding the shock cannon bolts of pure energy which passed right above her by ten meters. Before she could breath a sigh of relief, the six shock cannon beams struck a large asteroid just miles behind her space fighter, which sent small rocky debris flying in all directions, forcing the young female pilot to take further evasive action to avoid being clipped or struck by them. After weaving though several debris, Konno finally caught a moment to catch her breath and let out a sigh of relief.

"_Osprey Two, are you alright? RESPOND!_" came Kaito's frantic voice from her radio.

"_I'm okay Osprey Leader_," sighed Konno in exhaustion. "No damage sustained on my Cosmo Tiger II. All flight controls are still functioning."

"_Thank God you're still in one piece_," sighed Kaito in relief. "_Pull over next to my wing, and I'll escort you back to the _Audacious."

"Yes sir," replied Konno as her face soon turned red with fury. "Who was that idiot who nearly shot me out of the sky!?"

"_I don't know_," replied Kaito on the radio. "_But whoever that trigger-happy fool is, he is going to be in a world of pain!_"

* * *

On the _Audacious'_ bridge, a hushed but heated atmosphere could be felt as Josiah realized that everyone on the bridge was glaring daggers at his direction, including the captain who looked like a threatening volcano about to erupt.

"Ensign Anton, you'll report to my office at once when this stage of the war games is over." said Erickson in an icy and quiet tone. "Until then, _follow my orders to the letter_! Do I make myself clear Ensign?"

"Y-Y-es sir," gulped Josiah as he tried to shy away from the captain's angry glare.

* * *

Inside the _Reinicke's Fury_, the bridge crew were rendered speechless by the _Audacious'_ unexpected and premature firing of her main weapons which nearly clipped one of her space fighters in the process.

"Damn, that was too close!" said Otto.

"What on earth was that gunner aboard that Earth battleship doing!?" added the weapons officer. "Firing the main guns before all the allied spacecrafts cleared the combat zone safely?"

"Alright men, that's enough!" said Captain Elrick sharply. "We still have a mission to complete. Less talk and back to your posts!"

"Aye sir," answered the bridge crew as they went back to their respectful duties.

As Anika continued to pilot the Meltoria-class battlecruiser, she couldn't help but glance at the direction of the _Audacious_ as the two allied battleships began firing their guns at their respected targets.

_Oh dear, I wouldn't want to be the trigger-happy gunner on that ship right now._ Anika thought to herself.

* * *

Five hours later inside the captain's room, there was a deafening silence as Erickson, Jonathan, and Kaito glared at Josiah and Konno who both stood stiff-backed and trying not to look into their superiors' eyes while also fighting the urge to look at one another.

"Ensigns Anton and Yashiro, do either of you have anything to say with regards to today's incident?" asked Erickson who sat in his office chair.

Initially there was no response, as both young ensigns were too afraid to respond, knowing full well how much trouble they were in. However, it soon became clear that one of them had to speak up to explain their actions.

"I had it under control sir," replied Josiah. "You gave me the order to fire the guns once third-grade lieutenant Yashiro left the asteroid field! I just fired them just a few seconds early, as by the time the shots impacted the target, she would have left the asteroid field."

"Yes but you didn't consider the blast radius of the shock cannon beams when they impacted the asteroid!" said Jonathan angrily. "Do you realize that your stunt nearly cost us one of our pilots' lives!?"

"She wouldn't have been in that situation if she hadn't delayed us by five minutes!" argued Josiah who scowled at Konno.

"The blame should have been mine not hers," said Kaito who turned to his captain. "Sorry Captain, I was the one who encouraged third-grade lieutenant Yashiro to participate in a competition to see how many drones we could kill. Got carried away by the thrill of it which caused the delay for the battleships' bombardment."

"Will discuss it later Asuka," replied Erickson as he turned his focus to the other guilty participant. "Right now, your pilot has to answer for disobeying a direct order from her superior officer."

Konno took a deep breath and finally made her statement. "Sir, I accept full responsibility for my actions as it was my decision to chase down those drones despite Commander Asuka's order to return. And I accept any punishment for it."

Konno took respectful bow at the three senior officers before scowling at the young gunnery officer with her red eyes in fury.

"But even so, it doesn't justify this hotshot from almost killing me with his impatience!" Konno fumed.

"What!?" retorted Josiah. "You wasted half of the fleet's time chasing a few drones which no longer possessed a strategical threat! If such a thing happened in an actual battle, lives could be lost from that wasted time! Thus, I took the initiative and eliminated the target as quickly as possible!"

"I would partially agree with you, but we aren't at war anymore!" argued Konno. "We're up against drones and asteroids which were mostly harmless until you decided to blow up one of those space rocks into dangerous shrapnel!"

"But you're still in the way of my mission objective!" Josiah protested venomously. "All you had to do was clear out most of the enemy drones to achieve space superiority and leave the area. But no, you got greedy and chased down every drone you could find you egoistic brat!"

Konno's fists tightened with fury. "What did you call m-"

"Honestly I expected better of a pilot under a Battle of Saturn veteran." Josiah scoffed under his breath.

Konno's expression darkens.

"You _take_ that back."

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" roared Erickson, jolting everyone in the briefing room. "I understand that both of you have your own individual priorities and concerns that led you to take your respective actions. However, that does NOT excuse insubordination! War is not a game! I can not have my weapons officer or my one of my pilots neglecting their orders on a whim! Orders are given for a reason, and I cannot have either of you disobeying them due to your own preconceptions or ignorance! Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," replied both junior officers softly.

"Good," nodded Erickson. "Let this be your final warning. If either of you disobey your orders again, I will confine you to your quarters for the rest of the exercise. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," replied Josiah and Konno simultaneously with their heads lowered.

"You're dismissed."

Both young officers turned away and left the captain's office. As they exited the doorway, Konno and Josiah glared scornfully at each other for a moment before going their separate ways.

Back inside the room, Jonathan sighed as the heated tension dissipated.

"Are you sure they got the memo?" asked a concerned Jonathan. "Because I don't think the differences between those two are resolved."

"Even so, they still need to learn to work with one another whether they like it or not," replied Erickson. "Both the Osprey Squadron and the gunnery crew aboard the _Audacious_ must coexists to complete their mission objectives successfully. We may not be sailing aboard a carrier, but the fighter squadron is essential to our battleship's line of defense."

Erickson turns to his deputy captain and air corps commander. "Lee, Asuka, what do you think about those two's performance aside from the incident they caused?"

"Yashiro is pretty damn good if you ask me," replied Kaito. "Her dogfight skills are excellent and her pilot reflexes are quick. She's quite rough around the edges and a bit too cocky for her own good. But with more training and experience, Yashiro shows potential to be the best Marsnoid pilot since Yamamato."

"I could say the same for Anton too," added Jonathan. "He may be a bit egoistic and arrogant, but he is a solid gunner. Especially with his high hit ratio performance during the gunnery drills. It's just that his attitude needs work."

"Well if they can change their detrimental manners, I think they may shape up to be excellent officers within the Cosmo Navy," said Erickson.

"Permission to speak freely captain?" asked Jonathan.

Erickson nodded his head.

"With all due respect, our crew is not ready for a mission of this magnitude. Nearly more than two-thirds of them are just freshly graduated cadets. They might be highly skilled and be at the top of their classes, but they have no real experience working in deep space. Let alone in the Large Magellanic Cloud which is outside our own galaxy. Even our own chief engineer has never been out of the Solar System!" said Jonathan. "If they were assigned to a smaller ship like a Kongo, an Edinburgh, or even a Dreadnought, it would be fine as the pressure and responsibility to serve on those ships is less tense. But instead, the Cosmo Navy's top brass decided to assign them to an Andromeda, one of the most powerful ships of our fleet, to compete against some of the best and most experienced ships and crews of Garmillas and Earth. Even half of the _Dauntless'_ crew are all seasoned war veterans!"

"What are you implying?" asked Erickson.

"I am saying that the motley crew of ours in a brand-new Andromeda to be sent to an important interstellar exercise to represent Earth doesn't feel right," stated Jonathan. "The fact that top brass only sent two wave motion gun battleships instead of a typical squadron of five will not look good in the eyes of our Garmillan allies. It's almost as if they didn't really care which ships or crews were sent for this important occasion."

Erickson sighed. "Commander Lee, it's not that top brass doesn't care about properly assigning vessels to their respected missions. The main reason why only two battleships of the Wave Motion Gun Fleet were dispatched to the LMC was because the Earth Federation Council decided not to further antagonise Iscandar.  
A compromised was made for a select few Wave Motion Gun battleships to be permitted into the LMC. Queen Starsha wouldn't be pleased if we sent in a dozen or more Dreadnoughts or Andromedas into her neighbourhood, especially since Garmillas itself recently got its own wave motion gun capital ships of their own. You know how adamant she is about them."

"I understand sir," replied Jonathan. "But why not send experienced ships like the _Aldebaran_ or _Achilles_ instead? They're more qualified than us to partake in the exercise."

"_Aldebaran_ is needed in the Solar System as the primary flagship of the Cosmo Navy's home fleet based on Earth, while the _Achilles_ is undergoing a refit to be a control flagship of the BBB automated armada which will take a while since we no longer have the time vault factory," Erickson answered.

"Ok, if the ships are preoccupied with refits and home planet duties, why not assign some experience crew members aboard this ship like from those of the late _Andromeda_?" asked Jonathan. "Surely they are better qualified to man this ship."

"If I recall," said Kaito putting his finger to his chin in thought. "Some of the experienced crew members from the _Antares_ and the late _Andromeda_ were transferred to man the new carrier _Ark Royal_, while the rest were assigned to test and evaluate new prototype ships for the Next Gen Space Battleship Program."

"Huh, I guess that makes some sense," said Jonathan thoughtfully. "I heard that the North American contestant was getting a lot of attention. I guess experienced officers and men take priority at home rather than in events far out here. Can't really argue against that."

"Agreed, my old flight leader from the _Apollo Norm_ along with some of my buddies are heading to the _Ark_ to train the new space fighter recruits."  
Kaito sighed dreamily. "Honestly, I'm envious that they're are going to that ship. She looks exactly like the _Apollo Norm_ but with improvements from what I heard. Wish I could have flown off her flight decks with my old comrades instead of being aboard here on the _Audacious_. No offense Captain Erickson, this ship is a fine vessel, but she isn't the same as the _Apollo Norm_."

"None taken," replied Erickson politely. "It's true that this crew might be composed almost entirely out of rookies, but the objective of this voyage is to train them and teach them to work with other ships, _not_ to outperform rivals or show the flag to our allies. They may be unruly and lack discipline, but It's up to the three of us veterans to shape them up into stellar officers of the Cosmo Navy. You both said it yourselves, they have potential and need guidance to achieve it. I presume you two gentlemen are up to the task?"

Both officers stood to attention and saluted their captain.  
"Yes sir!"

Erickson smiled at his two officers. "Good, you may be dismissed."

Kaito politely bowed and proceeded to leave the room with Jonathan following suit. However, before the deputy captain could leave, Erickson called him back.  
"Commander, a word with you please?"

Jonathan looked towards Erickson before turning back to Kaito who simply shrugged his shoulders and left.

"Sure sir," Jonathan replied as he stepped back towards his captain.

"Pardon me for not asking this earlier," said Erickson. "But are you alright?"

"I beg your pardon?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's regarding about what happened before we left Garmillan Starbase 239," Erickson clarified.

"Oh... That..." Jonathan replied quietly, knowing well where the conversation was going to.

"Look, I understand the war has given you an instinct to be battle-ready at all times," said Erickson. "But having read your medical file and the post-battle report on what happened on the _Dover,_ I am concerned about your mental health."

"But Captain, with all due respect," Jonathan protested. "If you had read that file completely, you would have also known that I was cleared for duty by the medical staff."

"I am well aware of that," Erickson replied. "But the incident you caused at the start of the exercise has made me wonder whether it was premature. I can't have you giving out battle alerts for no reason."

"It was just one incident sir," insisted Jonathan. "I assure you it won't happened again."

"I hope so," said Erickson. "Because I need to know that my deputy captain is mentally ready and fit for command. If we're are thrown into another conflict, I want to be able to trust your judgement when making difficult decisions in the heat of battle."

"I understand that sir," replied Jonathan with a determined tone. "I'll do my best to support you and this ship's crew without being emotionally compromised. Regardless of what happened back then."

"Glad to hear that," Erickson smiled. "You may be dismissed."

As Jonathan turned to leave, Erickson called him once again.

"Jonathan, one more thing."

Jonathan paused just as he was about to exit the room.

"I understand that it's not easy for you," said Erickson gently. "Being the sole survivor of your ship and the guilt that comes with it. But you must realize that you're not the only one who has suffered a great loss. There are others like you who also been through hellish experiences during the wars with Garmillas and Gatlantis. You don't have to push yourself hard to make up for what's been done. Nor do you have to carry the burden of the fallen."

Jonathan didn't reply for several moments, pondering about his Captain's words. Finally he gave a slight nod back to his captain.

"Yes sir," Jonathan quietly replied just as he began to yawn.

"You should get an early rest Commander," said Erickson. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Aye captain," replied Jonathan. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night!"

* * *

Author Notes:  
_So yeah, a little info dump on what is the current status of the remaining three original Andromedas in this chapter. _

_Last time the _Aldebaran_, _Achilles_, and _Antares _were seen was during the start of episode 22 of Yamato 2202 among what's left of the allied fleet stationed at Mars. All three of which were heavily damaged, especially _Achilles _which had a clunk of her superstructure sheered off along with a missing generator pod.  
__For some odd reason, the trio haven't been seen since then, even in the final episode in the series.  
I genuinely hope they weren't scuttled off-screen because it would be a crying shame considering the remaining BBB units were pretty much boring bots that did nothing spectacular, and of course the lovely modified Andromeda variants, _Aquarius _(AAA-08) and _Amaterasu _(AAA-06) respectfully, __were both destroyed near the Moon. So I wrote that the trio were all repaired and returned to active duty following the end of the Gatlantean War. _

_Though this story will feature at least six manned Andromeda-class ships (of various variants) along the way, only one out of the final three survivors of the original five AAA-class will make an official appearance in the later half of the story. Which of the three, I cannot say... (grin)_


	4. An Unwelcome Arrival

**Chapter 4 - An U****nwelcome Arrival**

20th October 2204

Jonathan tossed and turned restlessly on his bed while having yet another unpleasant dream. A couple of moments later, he rolled off his bed and slammed onto the floor, awakening him from his nightmare.

"UGH! Damn it!" cried Jonathan as he rubbed the back of his head from the bruise.

Looking at the clock, Jonathan was relieved to see that he didn't oversleep this time.

"Phew, at least I didn't wake up late!"

"Attention all hands," said the PA speaker. "Report to combat stations immediately. This is not a drill."

_Wait a minute, the next phase of the exercise was supposed to start two hours later_. Thought Jonathan as he quickly changed into his uniform. _Something must have happened_.

* * *

"What's going on?" asked Jonathan as he stepped into the bridge.

"We received word from General Dolmen of the _Württemberg_ that several Garmillan outposts and surveillance stations in the outer regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud have mysteriously gone silent," replied Erickson.

"How many outposts?"

"At least five outposts in the last three hours," said Eddie.

Jonathan turned to Eddie in surprise. "Five in three hours? That's not normal."

"No it isn't," agreed Erickson as he turned to the rest of the bridge crew. "We've been ordered to go with the _Lunderburg_ and her escorts to sector NGC 1747 where a Garmillan surveillance outpost reported an unknown contact before going dark an hour and a half ago. The _Audacious_ and the rest of the Cosmo Navy ships will assist the Garmillan vessels in their investigation and will not intervene unless we're permitted to do so by Captain Von Henrik. Do you understand?"

"Aye sir," replied everyone.

"Excellent, Commander Lee set a course for NGC 1747," instructed Erickson.

"Yes captain," said Jonathan as he took his seat on the navigation console and began keying in the coordinates for the warp jump.

"Hey Commander, what do you think is going on?" asked Josiah as he glanced to the side his tactical console towards his superior.

"Best case scenario, it's probably just a communication bug or power failure that crippled those outposts," replied Jonathan. "The cause might be solar flares from stars, unreliable power generators, etc."

"Worst case scenario?"

Jonathan stopped for a few seconds, as flashbacks of his previous life aboard the _Dover_ went through his mind which nearly put him in a daze. Snapping out of it a second later, Jonathan went back to his duties.

"Flywheel is at max RPM," reported the chief engineer. "Wave motion engine's pressure is at maximum."

"Captain, all Earth ships reported ready for warp!" informed Johanna from the comms station.

"Commander Lee, you begin the countdown," ordered Erickson.

"Aye Captain, warping in five seconds. Four, three, two, one. WARP!"

* * *

Five minutes later, Task Force EGU-2 exited warp space at NGC 1747. The first vessel to burst out was the _Lunderburg_, followed closely by _Audacious_ and the rest of the Earth and Garmillas cruisers and frigates. The vessels quickly took up their respected formations and began to scan for any signs of the intruder and the Garmillan starbase.

"Captain, I am picking multiple faint contacts off the starboard bow with our long-range radar," said Eddie. "Putting it on the main panel."

Second later, the main viewscreen revealed a haunting sight: A massive debris field of scorched green metal that had been the Garmillan outpost.

"My Gosh," gasped Josiah in horror. "It's been completely obliterated!"

"And that Ensign Anton, is the worst-case scenario," Jonathan said sarcastically. "Damn it! I hate it when my fears are right."

"Ensign Gibson issue orders to the crew and the rest of our escort ships," ordered Erickson firmly. "Set condition to level 2 battle stations. I want all ships' weapons to be on standby mode. This is not a drill!"

Johanna nodded solemnly and began issuing Erickson's order on the ship's PA system.

"All hands to level 2 battle stations! This is not a drill! I repeat, all hands to level 2 battle stations! This is not a drill!"

Within minutes the entire crew rushed to their respected stations and prepared for combat. Josiah quickly primed all four shock cannon turrets on his weapons console along with loaded all missile and torpedo tubes for launch. Chief engineer Yuzuru Fujimoto quickly powered up the wave motion engine to full power to deliver energy needed for the shock cannons and the wave motion shield if it needed to be activated. Eddie on the other hand scanned his radar for any potential signs of where the enemy had left or came from.

"Captain should we launch our Cosmo Tiger IIs as well?" asked Jonathan.

Erickson thought about it for a while, but then shook his head. "Negative, we don't know what we're dealing with yet. We'll keep them in reserve till we get the full picture of what just happened here."

"Roger that sir," replied Jonathan.

"Ensign Gibson," said Erickson as he turned his attention towards her. "Contact Captain Von Henrik aboard _Lunderburg_. I want to know what he thinks of the situation."  
A few seconds later, the main viewscreen switched to an unhappy Von Henrik, clearly displeased by the destruction of the Garmillan outpost.

"Franz, my condolences about the loss of your space station," said Erickson. "Do you know what destroyed it?"

"_No we don't_," replied Von Henrik grimly. "_I am already dispatching a few of my cruisers to scout the area for any sign of the attackers. Till then, the_ Lunderburg_ and the rest of the Garmillan fleet will take charge of this operation while your ships will remain on standby till I deemed the situation grim enough to call for your intervention. I hope you don't mind that Alex_."

"Not at all," said Erickson. "It's your territory after all. You have the right to call the shots. We'll just sit back and await further orders from you."

"_Thanks Alex_," smiled Von Henrik. "_Right now, you should contact the _Dauntless_ regarding what has happened while I inform General Dolmen on the _Württemberg_. I'll call you again once I received further orders from my superior on how to proceed. Ghale Garmillon_!"

The video call between the two ships was promptly hung up, with the viewscreen switching back to the live footage view of the destroyed station and the Garmillan ships that hovered nearby.

"Ensign Gibson, get me Commodore Davenport on the _Dauntless_," ordered Erickson. "We need to inform him of our discovery."

Johanna nodded and proceeded to call the Dreadnought. However, when she tunes in into the long-range comms channel, she noticed that it was disturbed by static and interference. Johanna switches to a different channel frequency, but also finds it to be filled with static and white noise. Johanna quickly tries the other long-range channels that her comms station provided, but the result was still the same: All of them were disrupted or dead.

"Captain, I am unable to contact the _Dauntless_," reported a worried Johanna. "All the long-range comms channels are being blocked by some kind of strong interference."

"Blocked as in jammed?" asked Erickson in concern. "Are you sure?"

Before the comms officer could reply, her console began to beep, signalling that someone was trying to hail them. Turning back to check on it, she discovers that it was from the Garmillan battleship again. "Captain, the _Lunderburg_ is hailing us again."

"Put it though," said Erickson.

The main viewscreen once again brought up the visual of Captain Von Henrik on his bridge with a troubled look on his face.  
"_Captain Erickson, I seem to be having trouble trying to contact General Dolmen. All my long-range comms channels seem to be down_."

"Mine too," replied Erickson. "I can't raise Commodore Davenport either. I think whoever attacked the outpost might be jamming our signals and probably hasn't gotten far. What's the plan?"

"_Track down the culprit of course_," said Von Henrik. "_I have received word that the _Reinicke's Fury_ is already on the case. Captain Elrick informed me that his radar officer is following the jamming signal to its source. Once he pinpoints the location, we'll move in to intercept and find out who's responsible for this."_

* * *

Aboard the bridge of the _Reinicke's Fury_, Captain Elrick looked over his shoulder as he observed Otto working on his sensor console trying to locate the source of the jamming signal.

"Anything yet Mr. Geiszler?" he asked.

"Not yet sir, but I am closing in," replied the radar operator. "The signal is extremely strong and distinct enough for me to trace the origin. Aha! I found it! It's about 2.8 light seconds away, bearing 076."

"Notify the flagship and sent the coordinates to the rest of the fleet," instructed Elrick. "Helm come about 076, engines ahead full."

"Yes sir," replied Anika as she steered the Meltoria-class battlecruiser to starboard. "Steering to bearing 076, going ahead full."

* * *

Minutes upon receiving word of the _Reinicke's Fury_'s discovery, the rest of the fleet joined the Meltroia and followed it directly to the coordinates. Inside the _Audacious_, the bridge crew awaited to see the suspected culprit who had destroyed the outpost.

"Unidentified contact detected just at the range limit of our radar," reported Eddie. "The object is about, nearly four kilometres in length!?"

The Jonathan turned to face Eddie in astonishment, "You're sure? But that would be more than thrice the size of an Apocalix-class super carrier of the Gatlantean Navy!"

"Can you get a visual on the target?" asked Erickson.

"At this speed we're closing in we should get a clear picture of it in a matter of at least thirty seconds" replied Eddie.

"Captain, we just got word from the _Lunderburg_," informed Johanna from the comms console. "Captain Von Henrik has ordered the battle group to get within weapons range."

"Does he intend to engage that object?"

"Negative sir, he's going to try establishing contact with the unidentified vessel first," replied Johanna. "But he also said to charge weapons, just in case if it is hostile."

"Well we just did," Erickson chuckled to himself. "Hopefully the rest of the Garmillan vessels have done the same."

"Captain, we're in visual range of the unidentified vessel," stated Eddie. "I'm putting it on the main panel."

With the viewscreen on, the bridge crew of the _Audacious_ finally got their first look at their mysterious intruder. At first glance it looked like a black space station that had a horizontal compact form resembling a dark green cuttlefish standing upright with four stubby legs. The waist that separated the main body and the lower half of the colossal craft had several spherical like hatches that were arranged neatly in a row. The upper portions of gigantic spacecraft had several dotted lights windows scattered across the surface which indicated that it was possibly manned. Finally, it's mantle-like dome head had a singular lighted trenched ring that went around it and had two distinctive horns on its head around the edges.

"Is that some kind of space station?" asked Josiah.

"Considering how big it is probably, though I've never seen anything like it" commented Jonathan as he observed its details. "Judging from it's organic and curved aesthetics, it looks like something the Garmillans might have designed."

"If it was a space station, how did it get here?" questioned Eddie. "According to Captain Von Henrik, there shouldn't be anyone out here aside from the destroyed surveillance outpost. It couldn't have been built here in less than a few hours"

"Unless this thing has a warp-capable engine," added Fujimoto from the engineering console. "I heard rumors that the Garmillans were constructing a space station that could go to warp. If this thing can, it could be proof of the concept"

"Huh," muttered Erickson. "A mobile battle station, interesting."

"Should we now launch our Cosmo Tiger IIs now captain?" asked Jonathan.

Erickson put his fingers on his chin and thought it though. "Perhaps, but we'll need permission from Captain Von Henrik first. Ensign Gibson, patch me through to the _Lunderburg._"

* * *

Aboard the Lunderburg's bridge, Captain Von Henrik was trying to address the unidentified space station that was in front of their fleet via an open comms channel. "Attention unknown vessel or space station, this is Captain Von Henrik of the astro battleship _Lunderburg_ of the Garmillas Empire. You are trespassing on our territory and are suspected of destroying our defense perimeter outpost. Identify yourself and state your intentions or we'll be forced to take control of your vessel and send your crew for interrogation."

Von Henrik turned to his comms officer to see if the mysterious intruder had replied.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Negative sir," the Garmillan comms officer shook his head.

"That's the fifth time we tried to call them," Von Henrik frowned. "I don't like this."

"Captain, the _Audacious_ is hailing us," informed the comms officer.

"Put it through," ordered Von Henrik.

The wide diamond-like transparent green viewscreen quickly switched from the exterior view of the mysterious space station to the bridge of the Audacious where Captain Erickson was sitting on his command chair.

"_Captain Von Henrik, did you manage to contact our mysterious guest?_" asked Erickson.

"Negative," Von Henrik shook his head. "We've been calling them on all channels and haven't gotten a single response."

"_I see... My deputy captain has recommended that we could launch our Cosmo Tiger II fighters to get in a closer inspection at that space station_," said Erickson. "_With a few flybys near it, our pilots might just get their attention to talk_."

"Sounds like a good idea," replied Von Henrik. "But I would like to have a few of my cruisers to encircle around it first. In the meantime, the _Audacious_ and the other Earth ships will-"

"Captain," cried out the voice of the comms officer. "Sorry to interrupt you sir, but we've received a message from the unidentified vessel."

* * *

Back on the _Audacious_, Johanna nearly jumped out of her seat as she too received a transmission from the space station. "Captain, I've also received a transmission from the station!" she cried. "In fact, it's been addressed to all the ships in fleet!"

"Calm down Ensign Gibson. There is no need to shout it out loud," replied Erickson. "What does it say?"

* * *

"It's a single sentence that is heavily embedded in binary code repeating itself on a loop," said the comms officer aboard the _Reinicke's Fury_.

"Hidden in binary code?" said Anika. "That's an odd way to greet somebody. Can't they just speak to us plainly instead of doing something complicated?"

"Or it could probably be how they communicate with one another," Otto remarked. "After all we're dealing with an unknown alien race."

"Yes Sub Lieutenant Geiszler, we're all aware of the fact that this a first contact scenario," said Captain Elrick flatly. "I want you to keep monitoring that thing in case it tries anything shady. Focus on the task at hand."

"Yes sir," replied the radar officer dejectedly.

Looking back at his comms officer, Elrick asked again of the message's contents. "So have you translated the message?"

The comms officer nodded. "Yes sir, and it says-"

* * *

"Organic-based lifeforms are inferior," said Johanna in grave voice.

An eerie and haunting silence followed as everyone in the bridge of the _Audacious_ slowly turned to look at the space station that filled their front windows.

"That doesn't sound friendly," whispered Jonathan.

Outside in space, the midsection belt of the ominous space station slowly rotated to the left for a couple seconds before stopping. One of its half-spherical domes, pointing directly at the left flank of the allied Earth and Garmillas fleet, opened its triangular-like doors and revealing a gigantic cannon port hidden inside. In a split second, the cannon fired a powerful beam of orange and yellow energy which struck through five ships, incinerating four of them instantaneously.

"The unknown space station has fired on us!" shouted Eddie as everyone shielded their eyes from the light of the explosions. "One Destroia, two Kelkapias, and the frigate _Kashmir_ are gone! _Fanning_ has taken severe damage and is venting atmosphere."

"Battle stations!" cried Erickson as everyone scrambled to their respected consoles and readied the Andromeda-class battleship for combat. "Chief Fujimoto activate the wave motion shields! Midshipman Eddie are you sure they targeted the _Kashmir_ and _Fanning_ directly?"

"Not clear sir," replied Eddie. "But the blast was directly aimed at our starboard flank of our fleet."

Jonathan glanced outside and saw the Garmillon vessels splitting up and forming into their respected formations to engage the hostile battle station.

"Captain," Johanna called from the comms station. "Our escorts are requesting orders. Do we engage the hostile target? Captain?"

Erickson hesitated, as much as he wanted to assist the Garmillan fleet, he couldn't join the battle without any proof that the mobile space fortress had indeed targeted them directly. With Earth still recovering from the recent war, there was no way he could drag his home planet into another conflict unless it was unavoidable.

"Negative," Erickson replied reluctantly. "Tell them to raise their wave motion shields to maximum and prime their guns."

"For crying out loud Captain!" groaned Josiah. "Let's roast this giant metal cuttlefish station already!"

"We can't exactly intervene yet!" Jonathan snapped back at his weapons officer. "Do you want to drag Earth into another war? Unless the mobile fortress attempts another attack on one of our-"

Before Jonathan could finished his sentence, another powerful blast from one of the mobile battle station's belt cannons was fired and struck the crippled _Fanning_ which blew the Fubuki-class escort frigate into pieces.

"_Fanning_ is destroyed," cried Eddie. "She's gone!"

"You were saying sir?" muttered Josiah sarcastically back at Jonathan; the latter of which bit his lip in frustration and fury.

Erickson's face hardened, there was no doubt in his mind that the destruction of their escort ships was an intentional act of war. He now had the right to retaliate.

"Ensign Gibson send a message to all remaining escort ships," he said darkly. "Engage the enemy!"

* * *

Inside the _Lunderburg_, Captain Von Henrik waited for the rest of his ships to encircle the hostile enemy mobile fortress as his battleship tried to distract it by firing her 330mm positron turrets at its central belt cannon array. However, the _Lunderburg_'s firepower didn't seem to do any damage to the station's cannon array.

"Captain," reported the tactical officer. "Our primary cannons don't seem to have any effect on the enemy's super-weapon."

"Use the torpedoes," Von Henrik ordered. "Let's see if a combined barrage of energy-based and physical weapons can dent its armor. Are our escort ships above the station's main cannons' firing arc?"

"Not yet Captain! Three cruisers have yet to climb above the target's midsection cannon array," reported the tactical officer just as two more Kelkapia-class strike cruisers were instantly destroyed by a shot from another cannon that opened in the mid-section belt.

"Make that one!" he corrected.

"Take evasive action, but keep our bow pointed at the enemy! I don't want that thing to blow us to kingdom come!" Von Henrik shouted at his helmsman, before turning his attention to his tactical officer. "Maintain fire and cover the ascension of our cruisers!"

"Sir, the _Audacious_ is hailing us!" yelled the comms officer. "They said that their frigates will provide cover fire for our ships till they get into flanking positions!"

"Excellent!" replied Von Henrik. "Send my thanks to Captain Erickson and tell him that if we get through this alive, he owes me one of those bottles of Terran Scotch he keeps in his locker!"

As the Garmillan cruisers pulled up higher away from the crosshairs of the large cannons, two Fubuki-class patrol frigates came alongside the Haizerad-Class battleship and joined the Garmillan dreadnought in her attempt to damage the enormous station. The _Audacious,_ with one frigate per side acting as wingmen, approached the battle station from a different angle and fired their shock cannons in ferocious volleys.

* * *

"Captain, we've cleared the enemy station's firing arc," reported Anika as she eased the helm controls of the _Reinicke's Fury_. "All other ships are in position right above the monstrous space station."

"Perfect," nodded Elrick in firm approval. "All guns open fire! Focus on the top of that space monster!"

With the entire head of the mobile battle station surrounded from all sides, the Garmillan cruisers unleashed dozens of red positron beams enveloping the entire top of the station in a storm of red explosions. Adding to the mix of the furious barrage of shock cannon and positron cannon fire were torpedoes launched from the _Lunderburg_, a few Kelkapia-class cruisers and Fubuki-class escort frigates. After a few minutes of continuous bombardment, the entire station was completely covered with red and orange colored explosions and black smoke.

* * *

Peering at the viewscreen on the bridge of the _Lunderburg_, Von Henrik couldn't tell if the combined gunfire of the Garmillas and Earth ships had destroyed or crippled the mobile fortress.

"All ships hold your fire!" ordered Von Henrik. "I repeat hold your fire!"

Though the order was given, it took nearly thirty seconds for all the ships in the allied fleet to stop firing all their weapons. With the intense energy beam barrages gone, it seemed that all that was left of the station was a gigantic cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Did we get it?" asked Johanna from the comms console as everyone on the bridge peered out of the main windows to see whether the space station had been destroyed.

"Midshipman Eddie, do we have confirmation of the target's destruction?" asked Erickson.

Eddie shook his head. "I can't tell sir, there is a lot of interference with the radar."

"Wait, look!" cried Jonathan as he noticed something emerging from the fading black cloud.

Everyone gasped in bewilderment as the smoke dissipated revealing the Mobile Space Fortress completely undamaged.

"Damage to enemy battle station: Negative!?" gasped Eddie as he couldn't comprehend the readouts of his sensors.

"Impossible!" muttered Josiah in disbelief. "Nothing could've withstood that pounding for that long!"

* * *

While the crews of the Garmillan and Earth vessels are left dumbfounded at the ineffectiveness of their attack, the mobile space fortress made its next move. In the upper trench of the malevolent station, lay a powerful battery of eighty ray cannons which were arranged throughout the entire circumference of the mobile space fortress giving it a full 360-degree arc of fire. With the entire Garmillan cruiser force in its crosshairs, the dozens of purple beams shot out like a sprinkler fountain and bathe them in a deadly rain of energy beams. Slow to react to the unexpected counterattack, seven green Garmillan cruisers had their hulls torn apart by the ruthless whirlwind of purple rays.  
Even the Fubuki-class frigates were not immune to the wrath of the mobile space fortress. The two escort ships that were assisting the _Lunderburg_ pulled up and tried to provide cover fire for the Garmillan cruisers, but their shields were quickly overwhelmed by the ferocious pounding of the ray gun batteries resulting in one of the frigates being destroyed and the other battered and forced to make a hasty retreat.  
The surviving Garmillan escort-type ships tried to scatter and take evasive maneuvers from the murderous spray of purple beams that shot out of the entrenched guns. However, their efforts were mixed as there were just too many shots to avoid. The _Reinicke's Fury_ herself tried to dodge the deadly violet storm. But even with Anika at the helm, the battlecruiser still got hit by a few stray shots.

"Lieutenant Welmer! Get us out of range of their secondary gun batteries!" yelled Elrick as another hit jolted his ship hard.

"Aye captain!" replied Anika as she frantically tried to steer the _Reinicke's Fury_ out of the deadly barrages of purple beams with a Kelkapia-class strike cruiser following closely behind.

A nearby Destoria-class heavy cruiser was struck hard near its aft section and was sent careening out of control directly into the path of the Meltoria-class battle cruiser. Anika's eyes went wide with terror as she spun the helm control hard to port on her navigation console to avoid colliding into the crippled Destoria. The _Reinicke's Fury_ was barely able to avoid scrapping her side with the Destoria's by several meters and escaped unharmed. The Kelkapia on the other hand was not so fortunate. The smaller strike cruiser tried to evade by turning to starboard, but in doing so exposed her entire side profile to the sharp fish-like bow of the Destoria. The damaged heavy cruiser rammed the poor Kelkapia which broke the latter's back into two causing it explode into a massive fireball, destroying both ships in the process. Anika grimaced at the destruction of the two cruisers and silently gave her condolences to their fallen crews. Although she was relieved in avoiding collision with the Destoria, the loss of her fellow Garmillans was still regrettable.

"How many of our cruisers escaped?" asked Elrick.

"Just us and the Earth frigate _Hatsuyuki_," replied the tactical officer grimly. "We're the only Garmillan cruiser left. The _Hatsuyuki_ is in worse condition than us. Looks like her wave motion shields are gone and her hull is visibly battered."

"What are our orders sir?" asked Anika, as everyone in the bridge looked up to their captain in anticipation.

"Get us behind the _Lunderburg_ and the _Audacious_," instructed Elrick. "Ask the _Hatsuyuki_ to follow us. We need our ships to regroup and withdraw before-"

Before Elrick could finish his sentence, a stray purple ray beam struck the _Hatsuyuki, _causing the frigate to detonate right alongside the damaged _Reinicke's Fury_. Debris from the destroyed ship were flung violently into the port side of the battlecruiser, some hitting the superstructure near the the bridge.

A few bridge crewmembers, including Anika and Otto were jolted off their seats from the impact. Shrapnel and debris flew through the bridge, cutting down Elrick and his executive officer who were still standing. A few consoles exploded from overloaded circuits, sending out sparks and lighting fires inside the bridge. Anika cried in pain as she impacted the floor even though the blow was softened by the helmet she was wearing.  
As Anika tried to prop herself up on the chair, she heard screams of pain and agony from her wounded or dying crew members echoing throughout the battered bridge. Turning to look behind, Anika gasped in horror as she saw several of her fellow bridge crew members killed from either the shrapnel that was flung throughout the bridge or by high temperature burns of the exploded consoles. Among the dead was Captain Elrick and his executive officer, who had their bodies torn up and lying in a pool of purple blood. The only bridge crew members who seemed to be uninjured aside from Anika herself was the engineering operator, and Otto at the radar and sensor console, the latter's face which had turned green as he tried not to vomit at the bloody carnage.  
Anika managed to shake herself out of her trance and decided to take charge of the dire situation they were thrown in.

"Otto keep your eyes to the radar!"

"Y-y-e-s sir," stammered Otto as he forced himself back to his post and continued to monitor the mobile battle station carefully.

"Engineer Junack I want a full damage report immediately!" ordered Anika. "Also get a medical team up here ASAP!"

"I am on it!" replied slightly burnt engineering officer as he got to his console to call for help.

Anika checked her navigation console and discovered that the sublight engines still had enough power to get the battered Meltoria out of the combat zone. But her biggest concern was the Geschtam Drive, whose power output readings were erratic and low. Right now, the best she could do was to move the _Reinicke's Fury_ as far away as possible from the range of the mobile fortress' guns. As she moved the controls of the accelerator to increase speed, the lights and the displays started flickering on and off.

"That's not good," a worried Anika said to herself.

* * *

_Author Notes: I have decided to give all the chapter titles as I thought it would better if they had them.  
I probably won't release the next couple of chapters anytime soon as my schedule for the next few months would be quite busy for me. Until then, hope you enjoy the first official battle of the story. Well... More like the first half of it..._


	5. Escape Into the Fog

**Chapter 5 - Escape Into the Fog**

"_Hatsuyuki_ has been destroyed!" cried Eddie from the radar console. "_Reinicke's Fury_'s been badly hit by the shockwave and debris! The Garmillan battlecruiser's main power is fluctuating erratically, I don't think she's going to make it!"

Jonathan heart stopped as he watched the heavily damaged Meltoria's engines and lights flicker on and off, with smoke pouring out of her wounds like a dying animal bleeding to death.

_No... Not Anika's ship too_! Jonathan pleaded mentally, watching helplessly as the _Reinicke's Fury_ struggled to limp away from the battlefield. _Please_ d_on't let her be the next to die! Let her be spared from this please! _

Before Jonathan could step up and ask his captain permission to assist the _Reinicke's Fury_, a sudden jolt rocked the _Audacious_. The Mobile Fortress's vast battery of ray guns had now turned its attention to the Andromeda, _Lunderburg_, and the two remaining Fubuki-class frigates.  
The two battleships were showered in a hail of purple energy beams with dramatic effects: The _Audacious_' wave motion shield shimmered and flickered in multiple blue ripples of light as it was pounded by the intense bombardment of the ray guns which protected the ship's hull from being struck directly by them.  
The Haizerad-class battleship however was not so lucky. With only thick layers of Migobueza coating as protection, the _Lunderburg_'s hull was penetrated by nearly two dozen hits which burned through the armor. Regardless of the extensive damage, the green Garmillan battleship kept fighting on with her positron beam turrets lashing away at the mobile space fortress like a wounded but defiant animal.

"Wave motion shield at seventy-eight percent and dropping!" reported Fujimoto from the main engineer console. "Their energy weapons really pack a punch! We can't withstand this bombardment for long!"

"Captain we've received a call from the _Lunderburg_!" cried Johanna.

"Put it though!" said Erickson.

The main panel viewscreen quickly materialized a view of the _Lunderburg_'s bridge revealing to be battered with several consoles and displays panels fizzling in and out and sparks flying down from the ceiling. Von Henrik himself was in a shambled state: His uniform was ruined and stained, had a blackened bruised eye, and a cut to his chin.

"_This is the Lunderburg, we've taken serious damage and our main weapons were just knocked out_," said Von Henrik. "_I am ordering what's left of our forces to withdraw_!"

"Not arguing with that Franz," agreed Erickson. "We're are way over our heads here. Can you withdraw from the combat zone?"

"_Negative_," Von Henrik solemnly shook his head. "_Our Geschtam Warp engine was knocked offline. My engineers are trying to restore power to it, without it-_"

The Garmillan captain's sentence was interrupted as another hit from the ray batteries of the mobile space fortress struck the engine section of the Haizerad-class battleship. With her sublight engines incapacitated, the _Lunderburg_ was now drifting helplessly.

"Captain the _Lunderburg_ can't survive much longer," cried Jonathan. "Another few hits and she's finished!"

"Lieutenant Anton, arm the graviton launchers!" Erickson swiftly ordered. "Energy burst type: barrier shield! Put it between the _Lunderburg_ and that mobile battle station!"

"Yes sir!" replied Josiah as he quickly primed the _Audacious_' specialized weapon.

Near the bow of the Andromeda-class battleship, the four Graviton launchers emerged from their concealed hatches from the dorsal and ventral sides respectfully. Their energy twin energy disruptors glowing blue with intensity and as they charged up.

"Graviton launchers ready and locked on!" reported Josiah.

"Fire!" exclaimed Erickson.

Eight blue bolts of energy shot out of the four twin disruptors, passing over and bellow the crippled _Lunderburg_ towards the direction of the mobile space fortress. Seconds later, they detonated, creating a massive blue energy barrier which shielded the _Lunderburg_, the _Audacious_, and the remaining two escort frigates from the intense bombardment.

"Energy barrier is working!" reported Josiah. "That should hold for at least ten minutes."

"_Thanks for the assist _Audacious!" replied Von Henrik on the video feed via the main view screen.

"No problem," replied Erickson as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Can you get back sublight engines?"

Von Henrik shook his head gravely. "_Negative_ Audacious, _that last hit completely took out both the Geschtam Warp and sublight auxiliary engine. The _Lunderburg_ is a sitting duck."_

A sudden shockwave shook both vessels as the mobile space fortress fired one of its giant belt cannons at the blue barrier, attempting to penetrate it.

"Energy barrier's strength is reduced to eighty percent," informed Josiah. "It will dissipate in less than seven minutes now!"

"Von Henrik, can you evacuate the _Lunderburg_?" asked Erickson. "We can pick up your escape pods quickly and transfer them to the _Audacious_."

Another shockwave shook the bridge as the enemy battle station took another shot at the energy barrier, weakening it even further.

"Energy barrier now at sixty percent!" cried Josiah. "Dissipation in four minutes! It won't last much longer!"

"_I don't think we'll have enough time to evacuate to the _Audacious," said Von Henrik as he realized that he and his crews' chances of survival were unfavorable. "_You need to go. The _Lunderburg_ is done for!"_

"We can still save you," Erickson implored. "We'll just use our rocket anchors to tow your ship away from the battlefield."

"_I appreciate the offer, but we'll only slow you down and make an easy target for that mobile space fortress_." argued Von Henrik. _"You better leave while you still can!"_

"Captain, we're being hailed by another ship," said Johanna from the comms console. "It's the _Reinicke's Fury_!"

Jonathan swung his head around to look at Johanna, with renewed optimism that his friend had survived.

"Put it though," said Erickson.

The video call feed of Captain Von Henrik of the _Lunderburg_ was moved to the left of the main viewscreen and the visual of the _Reinicke's Fury'_s battered bridge appeared alongside it to the right, revealing a bruised but very much alive Anika Welmer.

"Anika! Thank God you survived!" sighed Jonathan in relief.

"_Yeah that was way too close for comfort_," the Zalti helmsman replied with a forced smile on her face. "_Should have paid attention when your escort frigate blew up beside my ship_."

"_What's the status of the _Reinicke's Fury_ Miss..?_" asked Von Henrik from the comms channel.

"_Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer. Helmsman of the_ Reinicke's Fury." The Zalti young lady replied as her tone became solemn. "_Captain Elrick and the XO are dead. We've taken serious damage and have at least seventy casualties and untold numbers of wounded_. _From the damage we've taken, I'd say structural integrity is about fifty percent_"

"Can you get to perform a Warp-," Jonathan paused for a moment then corrected himself. "I mean a Geschtam Jump?"

"_Though our engines are damaged and main power output is low, I think we can perform at least one long-range jump_," Anika answered. "_What's left of the engineering team is trying to maintain power from the Geschtam drive and holding the _Reinicke's Fury_ together. I'm already sending you coordinates for a rendezvous point for the surviving ships to meet_."

Suddenly the radar console started beeping loudly which caught the attention of everyone in the bridge of the _Audacious_.

"Captain, the enemy mobile space fortress has launched a swarm of unidentified fighter craft!" reported Johanna in alarm.

* * *

While the crews of the three ships were deep in their conversation, the space station had opened yet another door on its upper section, revealing a hangar filled with sleek and wingless space fighter bombers. Having grown tired of pounding the energy barrier that was created by the _Audacious'_ graviton launchers with moderate results, the mobile battle station had released its smaller minions to finish the last remaining ships off once and for all. The sleek and tube-like spacecraft flew out of the hangar like a swarm of wingless wasps leaving their nest and flew towards the last five Earth and Garmillan vessels.

* * *

"I'm picking up thirty, no _sixty_ unidentified spacecraft on an attack run on our vessels!" cried Eddie. "They are breaking up into three groups and trying to surround us!"

"Lieutenant Anton, lock on to those contacts and intercept them with the cluster missiles," ordered Erickson. "Fire all the pulse laser AA-guns in a full spread! Take them out!"

"Aye captain!" replied Josiah as he activated the battleship's anti-spacecraft weapons and point-blank defenses.

Just forward of the fore shock cannon turrets, the _Audacious_' cylindrical like four-mortar missile launchers fired a steady stream of small cluster missiles from both sides of the ship, dispersing in all directions like golden fireworks. Hidden retractable hatches below the superstructure slid open to reveal a vast array of AA-pulse laser guns which unleashed a spread of quick but rapid red bursts of energy in multiple streams, adding to the mix of cluster missiles. The two escort frigates also joined in the defense of the capital ships, firing off their shock cannons in all directions. Several of the slim space fighter-bombers were intercepted by the heavy defenses of the Andromeda-class battleship, but a dozen manage to break through and released their payloads. The missiles struck the wave motion shield of the _Audacious_ which sent jolts throughout the entire ship.

"Wave motion shield down to fifty-seven percent!" reported Yuzuru from his engineering console.

"_Reinicke's Fury, withdraw from the area immediately_!" ordered Von Henrik from the shared video call feed on the _Audacious_' main viewscreen monitor. "_Miss Welmer, as the last standing superior officer aboard your ship, you are now in command of what's left of our forces. Inform Garmillas High Command of what's going on and assist the _Audacious_ by any means necessary for a possible counterattack against the enemy_!"

"_Yes sir_!" replied Anika as she gave a quick Garmillas hand salute to her superior. "_See you later at the rendezvous point_ Audacious! _We're getting out of here_!"

The video call from the _Reinicke's Fury_ soon disconnected just as the badly damaged Meltoria-class battlecruiser warped out of the combat zone, leaving a brief red glare of light in its wake.

"_Captain Erickson it's your turn to withdraw_!" pleaded Von Henrik from the comms video call. "_My ship and I are finished. I don't want to drag you to your deaths as well_!"

"Captain Von Henrik…" said Erickson softly.

As another wave of missiles struck the _Audacious_' wave motion barrier, Jonathan knew that it was high time to leave.

"Captain, we've can't stay here any longer! Our wave motion shields and that energy barrier won't last much more under this intense assault!"

"_Alex, it was an honor and pleasure to fight alongside you,_" a sad smile formed on Von Henrik's face. "_I'll see you on the other side later! Go and live to fight another day! For my sake and the_ Lunderburg's!"

Erickson clenched his fists and eyes shut, realizing that he had no choice but to abandon his old comrade.

"Understood Franz," replied Erickson reluctantly in a controlled but depressed tone. "Helm get us out of here! And order the frigates _Foudroyant_ and _Havant_ to withdraw as well."

The _Audacious_ fired its bow maneuvering thrusters which turned the battleship around and away from the crippled hulk of the _Lunderburg_. The Fubuki-class frigates, being the more agile and faster ships, swiftly turned around and warped out first before the Andromeda-class battleship could complete its turn.

* * *

On the bridge of the mortally wounded Haizerad-class battleship, Captain Von Henrik smiled as he watched the _Audacious_ on the main viewscreen ignited all five of its engines and it accelerated to a warp jump. Although he wouldn't live this fight, at least his comrades from both Earth and Garmillas would survive. As he closed his eyes to await the inevitable, one of the large equatorial belt large cannons of the mobile space fortress was charged to full power and fired at the doomed Garmillan battleship. The large energy beam penetrated the dissipating energy barrier and sliced though the _Lunderburg_'s midsection, breaking the vessel into two. Seconds later, the once proud Haizerad-class battleship exploded in a massive fireball, taking the lives of Captain Franz Von Henrik and his brave crew.

* * *

Nearly fifty light years away from NGC 1747, the _Audacious_ exited out of its warp wormhole and found herself inside a thick interstellar purple dust cloud that had several electrical charges lashing out within it. Alarms started blaring away inside the bridge as warning signs flashed on all the displays of various control consoles.

"Report!" exclaimed Erickson.

"Sensors and radar systems are glitching out!" cried Eddie as he looked though his console's displays.

"Automatic fire control systems are also erratic!" yelled Josiah as all the shock cannons automatic fire control visual sights were plagued with static and fuzzy images.

"Ugh! Damn it!" cursed Johanna in frustration. "Long range comms is still down!"

"Main power is still online," reported Fujimoto. "But I am having trouble controlling the power output of the wave motion core to weapons and engines. Something fried most of the ship's controls right after we warped out!"

"At least helm control is still functioning," said Jonathan as he scanned though his displays. "And life support too. Why don't you try rebooting the systems?"

"I'll give it a shot," said Eddie as he restarted the _Audacious_' entire radar and sensor array.

"Is this a result of the enemy's attack?" asked Erickson.

"Negative," Fujimoto shook his head. "The technical problems we're having seems to be the result of electromagnetic surges striking the ship from the outside."

"Ah ha!" declared Eddie triumphantly. "I got radar and sensors back online, but they're still jittery and have a limited range! This is the best I can do for now."

"Good work," Erickson nodded approvingly. "Lieutenant Anton and Chief Fujimoto, try rebooting your respected control systems and see whether it fixes them too. Eddie, where're we exactly and where are the other ships?"

"We don't need to look far," Jonathan gestured to the windows outside where the two Fubuki-class frigates were parked just ahead of the _Audacious_. "Looks like the _Foudroyant_ and _Havant_ made it. But I don't see the _Reinicke's Fury_\- Oh gosh!"

The mauled form of the Garmillan battlecruiser drifted slowly down into view of the bridge with smoke still pouring from the gaping holes on its ravaged hull. The lack of lighted lights on her bridge, the inactive engines, and the dimmed hydrogen scoops,which usually glowed yellow, were all worrisome indications that the Meltoria-class battlecruiser's entire power was down.

"Ensign Gibson contact the _Reinicke's Fury_!" Jonathan blurted out, worried that the crew of the battle cruiser, Anika in particular, hadn't survived the jump.

"Yes sir!" replied Johanna as she quickly sprang into action on the comms station. "_Audacious_ to _Reinicke's Fury_, what's your status over?"

There was no response.

"_Audacious_ to _Reinicke's Fury_, do you copy?" Johanna repeated.

Several seconds later, a garbed but distinct voice on an audio call could be heard in the bridge's speakers.

"Audacious, Reinicke's Fury _here_," said Anika's voice. "_We've lost all power and are running on reserve batteries which have also almost been depleted. Our already damaged main power grids and systems must have been fried completely by the effects of the ionic interstellar dust cloud we warped into_."

"An ionic interstellar dust cloud!?" exclaimed Yuzuru. "That explains our systems glitches. What possessed that Zalti girl to fly us into one of those EMP interstellar fields!? That nearly incapacitated our ship's entire electrical grid!"

"I am sure she's got a good explanation," replied Jonathan. "Miss Welmer is one of the best navigators in the Garmillas fleet. She wouldn't have pulled off such a reckless stunt unless she had a good reason to do so. Anika, do you still have life support?"

"_For the moment_," came back the voice of Anika. "_But it won't hold for much longer. Oxygen levels are decreasing fast as we are venting atmosphere. I am ordering the rest of the survivors to abandon ship and get to the escape pods. We're going to need you guys to pick us up._"

"Copy that _Reinicke's Fury_, we'll be ready in a few minutes" said Erickson as he switched on the PA speaker. "Attention all hands, the crew of the _Reinicke's Fury_ is abandoning their ship. All personnel prepare for rescue operations to retrieve them and prep the Cosmo Seagulls in the starboard and port hangars for launch to retrieve survivors. Medic team standby to tend to the wounded once they get onboard. That is all."

Switching the PA channel off, Erickson turned to Johanna at the comms console. "Ensign Gibson I want you to try contacting the _Dauntless_ and the _Württemberg_. We need to inform them of what happened to our task force and request for immediate backup."

"I'll try sir," Johanna nodded.

Jonathan stepped up from his seat and turned to Erickson with a request. "Captain, permission to lead and assist the hangar bay teams in bringing in the escape pods."

Erickson promptly nodded. "Granted."

* * *

An hour later, the _Audacious_ was able to retrieve nine escape pods from the _Reinicke's Fury_ as a dozen workmen in specialized space suits and the two Cosmo Seagull transport auxiliary crafts assisted in bringing in survivors from the wrecked Meltoria. The process was slow as the random static discharges outside made the recovery hazardous and difficult. In addition, two escape pods could only be brought in at a time as there wasn't much space to bring them all in at one go. With the _Audacious_ busy rescuing survivors from the stricken battle cruiser, the two Fubuki-class frigates closely patrolled around their flagship and the _Reinicke's Fury_ to ensure the safety and security of the operation.  
The starboard and port hangar bays soon became crowded with survivors of the _Reinicke's Fury_ as they disembarked from their escape pods who were quickly attended to by the medical staff. Several of the injured rested on foldable beds while those who were in critical condition, were placed on stretchers and moved to the medical bay for immediate treatment.

* * *

After the final escape pod was safely secured inside the port side hangar of the _Audacious_, its door was safely opened by the hangar mechanics allowing its occupants to finally leave the space lifeboat, with Anika among the last to leave. Stepping onto the metal floor, she removed her helmet and sighed deeply, relieved that the long wait for rescue was over.

"Hey Anika!"

The Zalti helmsman turned around to see Jonathan coming to greet her.

"Thank goodness you're alright! Do you need medical attention?"

"Not really, but thanks Jonathan" replied Anika. "Aside from a bruise on the forehead, I am mostly fine. But what about the rest of my crew?"

"We managed to count at least thirty-four survivors that were disembarked from this hangar bay," said Jonathan grimly. "Twenty of them were in critical condition and had to be wheeled to the medic bay immediately. Not sure about how many we got from the starboard hangar but last I heard from that hangar crew they counted at least twenty-two."

"Fifty six survivors..." Anika's face became downcast as she took in the loss of nearly three-quarters of her crew.

"I'm sorry," said Jonathan quietly.

"Do you want some time alone or help out with your comrades?"

Anika shook her head at Jonathan's offer. "Thanks but that can wait, there is something urgent I need to discuss with you and the captain. We have to get this ship on the move soon."

"Why? Is there something wrong?" asked Jonathan.

"It's best if I explain it on the bridge," said Anika. "Could you lead the way?"

"Sure, just follow me," replied Jonathan.

"Hold on a second, I almost forgot one more thing."

Anika turned to one of her crew members that had recently came out of the last escape pod.

"Sub Lieutenant Gieslzer!"

"Huh? Oh yes Ms Welmer?" jumped a slightly startled Otto, who was holding what seemed to be a large hard drive.

"If you can find Engineer Junuck, tell him that he's in charge of the survivors till I get back from the bridge." Anika instructed. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Yes ma'am!" replied Otto as he went off to look for the chief engineer.

"Sorry about that, so shall we go?"

"Of course!" said Jonathan with smile. "Oh one more thing: Welcome aboard the UNCF _Audacious_!"

* * *

"Any luck on contacting Commodore Davenport or General Dolmen?" asked Erickson to Johanna.

"Negative sir," the young comms officer shook her head. "The interference of the interstellar cloud is blocking our transmissions. On the plus side, the deck side hangar crew teams have reported that all the survivors from the _Reinicke's Fury_ have been brought on board."

Just then, the doors of the bridge slide open, allowing Jonathan and Anika to enter inside the _Audacious_' bridge.

"Commander Lee, welcome back," greeted Erickson. "I trust the rescue operation wasn't too chaotic for you to handle."

"It was difficult but we had it covered," replied Jonathan.

Erickson soon noticed the presence of the Garmillan helmsman. "And I believe you are-"

"Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer of the Astro Battle Cruiser _Reinicke's Fury_, detached to the 21st Armored Corp of the 12th Squadron," introduced the Zalti politely as she gave the Garmillan hand salute.

"Oh, so you're that crazy navigator who led us to this dangerous cosmic dust cloud!" hissed an angry Fujimoto.

"Oi Fujimoto!" Jonathan interjected. "She just lost their captain and fellow crew members! Try to be more tactful!"

"My apologies Deputy Captain, I mean no offense to the loss of her comrades. But that doesn't change the fact that she led us to what is an essentially gigantic electromagnetic field which nearly fried all our ship's critical systems! I demand an explanation for why our rendezvous point was arranged to be here!"

Anika looked at the enraged Chief Engineer with a regretful look on her face and did an apologetic and courteous bow.

"I'm sorry for not warning you about the details of our escape location, but there wasn't much time for me to explain."

Anika turned to face the direction of the bridge windows. "This is the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud. It has tons of ionized particles which causes powerful electromagnetic discharges that can disrupt several systems of any ships that enters here. We're only at the outer perimeter of the cloud, if we warped in deeper inside it your vessel might have been permanently been disabled."

"Then why come to such a hazardous place?" asked Josiah. "Especially considering your ship was badly damaged."

"A calculated risk," replied Anika.

"I beg your pardon?" said a dumbfounded Josiah

"This ionic dust cloud mostly neutralizes radar and sensor readings," explained Anika. "Considering that our Geschtam and Warp jumps leave space wakes that can be traced, and that our ship in its battered condition could only afford one jump, we had to go to a place where the enemy won't be able or dare to find us."

"Ah I get it," said an enlightened Eddie. "If this place blinds our radar and sensors, so will the enemy if they follow us into this dust cloud!"

"It gets even better," added Anika with a knowing grin on her face. "The enemy won't be able to track us on our next jump from here due to the interference from the static discharges if they're in pursuit of us. However, we need to leave soon before they arrive. Even if their sensors were knocked out, they could still see us with their eyes provided if they warped out close enough to us."

"Hmmm, I guess your plan does make some sense," muttered Fujimoto reluctantly, having seen the logic behind Anika's risky gamble.

"Well in that case we better get going," said Erickson. "Mr. Fujimoto start up the flywheel of the wave motion engine and prepare for warp. Ensign Gibson, inform the frigates that we'll depart this area in less than five minutes. Commander Lee, take your position."

"Aye sir," replied both bridge crew members.

Jonathan went to the helm and navigation console and took his seat, while Anika just stood where she was, observing the activity within the bridge.

"Commander Lee, have you plotted a new set of coordinates for us to go?"

Jonathan looked at his console and swiped though the dozens of planets and solar systems on his navigation's map display. Several seconds passed, and the deputy captain hadn't responded nor having any luck looking for a new site to warp in.

"Erm..." Jonathan muttered aimlessly. "I am not sure to be honest as I haven't been in this sector of Garmillan space before."

Seeing that Jonathan was struggling to find a new set of coordinates, Anika walked over to the navigator console and leaned forward near him to recommend a location.

"Try the Tuanus system," Anika pointed her finger to one of the nearby solar systems displayed on navigation console.

"You're sure?" asked Jonathan.  
"Positive," Anika confirmed. "It has a few gas planets with thick rocky rings orbiting them and magnetic fields strong enough to mask our radar and sensor signature. It's also the next closest jump point to Garmillan Starbase 239."

"Ok then," said Jonathan as he typed in the coordinates for the next jump. "Tuanus system it is. You might want brace for the warp jump for the record."

"Sure," replied Anika, retracing her steps back to the rear of the bridge.

"Wait, what about the _Reinicke's Fury_?" asked Josiah, gesturing to the abandoned and lifeless Meltoria.

"Scuttle it," replied Erickson. "If there're pursuers coming here, we need to leave false evidence which implies that we didn't survive the warp out. With your permission of course Lieutenant Welmer."

Anika gazed out at her battered ship for several moments with a forlorn look on her face, before turning to Erickson and giving her answer.

"You may proceed," she softly replied. "Captain Elrick wouldn't approve of having his battered ship being captured anyway."

"Lieutenant Anton, charge up main shock cannon turret number 1," ordered Erickson. "Fire on my command."

As Josiah prep one of the shock cannons to fire on the abandoned Garmillan ship, Anika gave a Garmillas hand salute to her vessel. Erickson took notice of the Garmillan officer's gesture of respect to their fallen comrades and decided to pay respect to their fallen crew members. Standing up from his command chair, Erickson stood straight and saluted the delict vessel. Witnessing their superior officer's actions, the rest of the bridge crew also stood up and followed suit, saluting the sacrifice of their fallen Garmillan allies that perished in the battle.

"Ok Mr. Anton," said Erickson quietly. "You may proceed."

Josiah nodded at his captain and pressed the control to fire. The forward shock cannon let loose three blue thick beams of energy which sliced though the tattered hulk of the _Reinicke's Fury_, disintegrating the Meltoria-class battle cruiser in a fiery explosion.

"Shame to see an elegant ship like that go," Jonathan lamented to himself as the bright glare of the explosion faded away.

"Ensign Gibson, have you sent the warp out coordinates to the frigates?" asked Erickson as he sat back on his command chair.

"Already did," Johanna replied. "_Foudroyant_ and _Havant_ should be ready by now. Awaiting command to go to warp sir!"

"Flywheel is at max RPM and the pressure within the wave motion engine is at maximum," reported Fujimoto. "We're good to go."

"Very well, take us out of here Mr. Lee," said Erickson.

"Yes sir," said Jonathan. "Warping in five, four, three, two, one!"

* * *

Seconds after the three Cosmo Navy ships executed their warp jumps, all that was left within the edges of the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud were the remains of the proud Garmillan battlecruiser _Reinicke's Fury_. However, behind and above the murky clouds of interstellar dust, three dark and shadowy figures materialized out of their warp wormholes. A flash of lighting caused by one of the ionic charges briefly illuminated the silhouettes of the new arrivals, revealing disk-shaped saucer hulls with tall and narrow superstructures.

* * *

_Author Notes: Boy did this took long to upload. Chapter 5 was originally meant to be posted last week and a half ago but there was a major issue with this chapter leading me to postpone it till I had to rewrite and fix it.  
I have no idea how many Garmillans can crew a single Meltoria as there isn't any information from official sources of SBY2199 regarding the crew complement of any of the Garmillan ship classes in service. So I took a guess of at around 200 enlisted men and officers, as I believe that the cruiser types in the Garmillan Navy to a certain degree are quite automated though not to the extent of the UNCF's Wave Motion Gun battleships. _


	6. Plotting Their Next Move

**Chapter 6 - Plotting their Next Move**

Half an hour after arriving at the fourth planet of the Tuanus System, a meeting was held in the _Audacious_' Central Operations Room between the senior officers of both the _Audacious_ herself and the Garmillan officers that had survived from the _Reinicke's Fury_. The Cosmo Navy officers consisted of Erickson, Jonathan, Kaito, Josiah, Fujimoto, Eddie, and Matthew Hobbs, the security chief of the ship. The Garmillas side on the other hand was represented by Anika and Otto respectfully.

"From scans taken from the _Audacious_' and those submitted from belated _Reinicke's Fury _thanks to Sub Lieutenant Geiszler, it appears that the mobile space fortress is protected by an extremely powerful but unknown type of energy shield that made our bombardment, even with our shock cannons, largely ineffective," said Eddie as he gestured to the holographic model of the mobile space fortress that was projected from the display table.

"How strong is it?" asked Jonathan.

"From the pounding it took, I am guessing it's about thirty times stronger than our own wave motion shields that are currently installed aboard our Yamato and Andromeda-class battleships," replied Eddie.

"Thirty times stronger than _Yamato_ herself?" Jonathan's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"With a shield that resilient, it's going to take more than a tenth of the entire Garmillan fleet to destroy that thing!" added a stunned Anika.

"That doesn't sound too bad," commented Josiah. "So, we can just call for reinforcements and blow that thing to kingdom come with sheer numbers."

"It's not that easy," replied Otto. "With the Garmillas fleet thinly spread out across both the LMC (Large Magllanic Cloud), the SMC (Small Magllanic Cloud), plus the Milky Way Galaxy, it's going to be hard to assemble such a fleet with such little time."

"Even if we do assemble such a fleet, you got to take account of its offensive and defensive abilities," said Jonathan. "Those upper battery guns shredded an entire Garmillas cruiser strike force in less than two minutes. That's the equivalent devastating effect of a Calaklum-class battleship using its lighting gun rotation system."

"Lieutenant Welmer, do you recognize which alien race this mobile space fortress belongs to?" asked Erickson.

"Negative," Anika shook her head. "I've never seen or heard anything like this giant space station anywhere else in the Garmillan Empire. No alien race we encountered has anything of that size and firepower aside from the recently extinct Gatlantis itself."

"So this is completely new and unknown alien race we're dealing with," said Kaito.

"Probably so," agreed Otto. "Those upper guns on its head have a completely different energy signature that is unlike any energy-based weapon we have recorded."

"What about those large equatorial cannons on its midsection belt?" asked Jonathan.

"That's the most curious part," replied Otto. "From the scans I was able to get during the battle, it appears to be a more refined and improved version of the Firestorm Flame Strike Cannon used by the Medalusa-class assault battleships."

Jonathan turned to Otto in astonishment. "The Firestorm Flame Strike Cannon? Are you sure its related to that weapon?"

"It's the same energy signature," Otto confirmed. "The Gatlantean variant shoots out a diffused and thick column of pure plasma energy, but this one fires a narrower beam and is more concentrated in composition."

"Thus, allowing for more precise shots at a significantly greater range and faster velocity than its Comet Empire counterpart," murmured Jonathan in admiration. "Fascinating."

"I know right!" replied Otto with excitement. "It's simply ingenious! If a weapon like that was installed on a Medalusa, those Gatlantean recon battleships wouldn't have such a hollow and fragile hull to contain the original cannon along with those complicated systems required for a SMITE teleportation-"

"Whoa settle down Otto," said Anika, trying to calm down the excited Garmillan from his rambles. "I think you gone off topic there."

"Sorry madam," Otto sheepishly replied.

"It's okay," said Jonathan with a chuckle. "I would have probably done the same under different circumstances."

"If we can't hit that thing with conventional weapons, why not use our space fighters and bombers?" asked Eddie.

"No, it's too risky," Erickson shook his head. "Considering the firing arc and intensity of the station's upper array of weapons and the addition of its own wings of spacecraft fighters and bombers. I don't think that would work."

"I agree," Kaito added. "We only have twelve pilots on board for this voyage. Even if we get more reinforcements of spacecrafts from either Garmillas or Earth. I don't think a large concentrated space strike could destroy it as our missiles and bombs probably wouldn't penetrate their shield. Also, the chances of survival for our pilots would be very low."

"If that's the case, why don't we just use the wave motion gun?" said Josiah.

Everyone, aside from Security Chief Hobbs, turned to look at the young weapons officer as if he spoken something unspeakable.

"I mean the _Audacious_ is a member of the wave motion gun fleet," Josiah continued. "If conventional weapons don't work, why not use our primary trump card instead?"

"I second that too," added Hobbs, who finally broke his silence on the matter. "If we can rendezvous with the _Dauntless_ and the rest of her escorts, our combined firepower with all our wave motion guns could easily blow that monster space fortress to kingdom come."

"And risk provoking Iscandar even further in the process?" replied Jonathan, clearly displeased with the suggestion. "I don't think that is a good idea! We've already been on very fragile terms with Starsha ever since the creation of the Wave Motion Gun Fleet! Using it again will only make things even worse."

"Seriously?" Josiah replied with disbelief. "You're refusing to use it just because that stupid queen said so!?"

"Watch your tongue kid," reprimanded Anika sharply. "Starsha is highly respected and considered sacred among those in the Garmillas Empire. I strongly suggest you take that back."

"Hmph, sacred indeed," retorted Josiah.

"Lieutenant Anton," Erickson gave a warning glare to the young weapon officer. "Mind your tone. Please keep your political comment to yourself."

"And yet despite her anti-WMG stance, she has done nothing to help us from building a potent deterrent against hostile alien threats!" Josiah continued, ignoring his captain. "She claims to bring salvation to all life to the universe and yet does nothing to ensure its longevity, forcing us to take matters on our own hands."

"Josiah…" Jonathan growled.

"In the end, she is just a preachy pacifist with no real power to back up her ideology and probably relying on her Garmillan lackeys to protect herself from harm!"

"How dare you desecrate Starsha's name!" yelled a furious Otto as he moved forward to punch Josiah in the face. "You will pay for your blasphemy!"

"ENOUGH!" barked Erickson, bringing both men to a halt before any fists could be thrown. "Lieutenant Anton, you're out of line! As much as you disagree with Starsha's policies regarding wave motion gun warfare, you have no right to speak ill towards her, especially with our Garmillan guests on board! Say something like that again, and I will confine you the brig immediately! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," muttered Josiah reluctantly, frowning in disapproval.

"Captain, he and Hobbs do have a point," said Fujimoto. "If our shock cannons and missiles can't penetrate that mobile space fortress' shield, we should take into consideration of using the wave motion gun."

Erickson thought about Yuzuru's recommendation for several moments and came to a decision regarding the matter. "Very well, as much as we don't want to further antagonize Iscandar, we will use the wave motion gun if we have no other options left to destroy the enemy."

Erickson turned to Jonathan. "Commander Lee, has Ensign Gibson succeeded in contacting the _Dauntless_ or the _Württemberg_ yet?"

"No sir," Jonathan shook his head. "Last time I spoke with her, she told me that long range comms are still down. She doesn't know whether it's still being jammed or that one of the communication circuits or transmitter receivers have been damaged by either the enemy's attacks or the electromagnetic charges during our stop at the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud."

"I have already ordered a repair team to look at it," added Fujimoto. "But for now, we have no way of contacting anyone outside a solar system to inform Garmillas or Earth top brass of what has happened."

Erickson took a long look at the holographic model of the mobile space fortress. If he waited until repairs on the comms were done, they could potentially waste precious time while the enemy continues to wreak havoc in the Large Magllanic Cloud. It was a risk that couldn't be afforded considering it's destructive capabilities. With no way to contact Commodore Davenport or General Dolmen, there was only one alternative left on the table.

"In that case, there is only one thing we can do," said Erickson. "Head back to Garmillan Starbase 239 and inform the Garmillan high command directly. We can't afford to waste time waiting for repairs to our comms when that monster space station is still on the loose."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement at their captain's judgement.

"I concur," said Anika. "We also need to transfer the wounded survivors to a larger medical facility to be treated. Starbase 239 could also assist in your repairs if necessary."

"Of course," nodded Erickson. "In less than fifteen minutes, we'll warp to Garmillan Starbase 239, so be at your posts by that time. Gentlemen, you may be dismissed."

The holographic room switches off its display and the lights on the ceiling flicker back on. As the officers turn to leave, Jonathan turned to Josiah.

"Lieutenant Anton, a word with you please?"

Josiah turned to face his superior. "Erm sure sir."

* * *

Outside the Central Operations Room, Erickson approached Anika and Otto to discuss something with them.

"Miss Welmer and Mr. Otto, can I have a moment of your time please?"

Both Garmillan officers looked at Erickson for a few seconds, before Anika nodded in approval.

"Sure Captain Erickson, is there anything you want from us?"

"As the two senior surviving officers on the Garmillan task force, I'll would like your presence on the bridge when we arrive at Garmillan Starbase 239," said Erickson. "With Captain Von Henrik gone, you should represent what's left of your crew once we get into contact with your superiors, even if your ship is technically gone."

Anika smiles in appreciation.

"Thank you, sir, it would be our pleasure,"

Hobbs, who overheard that conversation, frowned in disapproval.

Just then a loud shout could be heard from inside the Central Operations Room, which started the four officers in the corridor.

"Is that..." muttered Otto.

"Yup," confirmed Anika. "Jonathan- I mean Commander Lee is scolding that young weapons officer."

"Serves him right," said Otto, with no sympathy for Josiah.

"Sir, a moment with you please?" Hobbs asked Erickson, pulling him aside. "Shouldn't they be confined to quarters till we disembark them? They're Garmillan officers after all."

"Mr. Hobbs, they're not our prisoners," replied Erickson. "These two along with the rest of their crew are our guests and are to be treated as such."

"If you say so sir," grumbled Hobbs, eyeing both Garmillan officers with suspicion. "Provided if they don't go into restricted areas in the ship. I'm not happy that you let them use our computers to upload their ship's data log, even if it was just used to help us analyse data on that new opponent of ours."

"In dire times we have to make exceptions Mr. Hobbs," Erickson replied. "As long as they don't gain access of any sensitive systems, you have no need to worry."

"As you wish captain," said Hobbs, before walking off to his assigned post.

As Otto rushed to join Erickson towards their way to the bridge, he noticed that his superior officer was still at the entrance of the Central Operations Room.

"Are you coming Anika?" Otto asked.

"Later Otto, I just want to catch up with Jonathan once he's done," replied Anika. "I'll join you guys later."

"All right Lieutenant Commander, I'll see you later" said Otto before walking off with Erickson.

* * *

"Just what on earth are you doing!?" exclaimed Jonathan. "Accusing Queen Starsha openly in front of Garmillan officers!?"

"I was just simply telling the truth!" argued Josiah. "Starsha's policies against wave motion weaponry are just stupid! We did what was needed to be done to defend ourselves from any potential threats."

"And I may agree partially with you. But just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean you babble it in front people who are extremely defensive on the subject! Honestly could you try not to start fights with your own allies please? Already you have ticked off two of our Cosmo Tiger II pilots and now you're squabbling with the Garmillans? If you'd been a mediocre weapons officer, I would have sent you straight back to Earth at the Cosmo Navy Academy for your utter disrespectful conduct! Your job is to man and arm the weapons of the ships, not blabber about political affairs!"

"And what if the said political affairs is also regarding the ship's main weapon?" asked Josiah nonchalantly.

"Leave that for me and the captain to worry about it!" Jonathan sharply replied. "Besides, your recent rank promotion leaves you in no position to question the protocols and ethical laws surrounding the WMG. Once you've gained enough experience in the Cosmo Navy and climb up the ranks, then maybe you might be able to voice your opinions. Until then, keep them to yourself. Is that understood?"

Josiah remained silent for several moments, forcing himself not to look directly at his superior officer's livid face. Realizing that he hadn't been able to successfully to convince his subordinate, Jonathan tried a different approach.

"Look I know this seems wrong to you, but sometimes it's best to keep things quiet when you don't understand the full picture. Sure, you disagree with Queen Starsha but you don't know her perspective on the matter. Perhaps she has a logical reasoning behind it."

Jonathan took a deep breath and admitted one his past secrets to Josiah. "I used to be like you for the record. Always too quick to state my honest opinion."

Josiah looked at his senior officer in surprise. "Really sir?"

"To a certain degree," Jonathan replied. "I had my disagreements with working with Garmillans back during the Gatlantis War during my time on the _Indefatigable_, especially with their second-class men. I was openly hostile to them for personal reasons, especially for what they did in the previous war. Thought that no good would come of being allies with those that nearly drove us to extinction. Got myself into trouble a couple of times even with my fellow peers, nearly lost my career too."

"What changed your mind?" asked Josiah.

Jonathan gave him a small smile with regret in his eyes. "New perspective on the matter. Anyway, like I said, you should be careful to your opinions on sensitive and controversial topics. Especially when you don't fully understand all its aspects. Because if you do, one day it may come back to haunt and bite you back. Do you understand now Josiah?"

"Yes sir," replied Josiah.

"Good," Jonathan said. "You're dismissed."

Josiah nodded and started walking towards the doorway. But before he could leave, Jonathan turned around and called him again. "Lieutenant Anton, two more things I need you to do."

Josiah stopped and turned his head to face his superior.

"Apologize to Lieutenant Commander Anika and her aide. Also, try to put aside your ego please?"

Josiah paused for a couple of moments. "Yes sir."

After Josiah left the room, Jonathan sighed in exhaustion, hoping that he got through to the young lieutenant.

* * *

Walking out of the doorway of the Central Operations Room, Jonathan was feeling worn out over the events that had been happening from the past two days. As he turned around the corner, he saw found Anika casually leaning on a wall, waiting for him.

"Rough day eh?"

"You have no idea," Jonathan muttered. "After the stunt Lieutenant Anton pulled yesterday and now this. I don't know whether his is a worse problem to deal with than our new enemy. By the way, did he apologize to you for what he said earlier?"

"He did," Anika replied. "He's hot-headed that's for sure, but I don't think he means any real malice against us."

"He is definitely one to shoot and talk first than think things clearly," said Jonathan as the two officers strolled down the corridors. "By the way, I'm sorry about what happened Captain Elrick. It's shame I didn't get to know him that much during our joint-allied missions back during the War against Gatlantis."

Anika nodded sadly. "He was a strict and harsh man, it took a while for me to adapt to his iron fist rule but he's a good captain and knew what he was doing. I am grateful to have served under him. Although Otto had trouble coping with his harsh method of command."

"Otto?" Jonathan lifted his right eyebrow.

"My radar officer," Anika clarified. "The Garmillan officer just now who was rambling about the weapon on that mobile space fortress. He was assigned to the Reinicke's Fury only four months ago."

"Oh that guy, he seems to be a nice chap to chat with."

Anika giggled. "Well he's more into science topics and weapons development than you're into ships and war history. I could introduce to him properly later if you want."

"Sure, it would be my pleasure," replied Jonathan as they entered a lift. "But right now, our priority is to inform our higher ups about this new threat."

"Agreed," Anika nodded as the lift doors closed. "It's shame really. I thought that once our fight against Gatlantis was over, we could enjoy a new era of peace. Guess I was being too optimistic."

"Probably," commented Jonathan as he pressed a button on the lift's panel. "With Gatlantis defeated and their race eradicated, we can't just assume that they were the only interstellar superpower in this region of the universe. Who knows what other hostile alien races with Akerius technology or lineage is still lurking out there?"

Anika frowned grimly as she thought about Jonathan's words. For nearly more than half a century, Garmillas had established itself as the ultimate power and ruler of the Large and Small Mallegnic Clouds. Though many have objected to the brutal dictatorship of Abelt Dessler, there was no doubt that Garmillas' powerful and vast military had kept many of the worlds and various races in the LMC and SMC safe from external threats and invaders.  
However, that confidence was shattered when a certain Terron space battleship, equipped with Iscandarian technology, bested Garmillas' finest ships and officers single-handily and humiliated them with defeat after defeat. To say that the Yamato's intentions to seek salvation for their dying planet and race instead of seeking revenge and potentially genocide against the Garmillas Empire was a huge understatement.  
But the biggest blow to the morale and spirit of the Garmillas military was the power of the mysterious and diabolical race known as the Gatlanteans. Initially perceived as an inferior and barbaric alien race from their early incursions within the LMC, many officials with the government and military hierarchy, aside from a few like the late General Domel and current Fleet Admiral Dietz, were dismissive of the threat. As a result of underestimating the Gatlantans, the Garmillas military suffered heavy losses and several defeats when the Comet Empire finally let loose their vast armadas. If it wasn't for Gatlantis shifting its attention to destroy Earth, the Garmillas empire might have been outright defeated. Even more disquieting was Gatlantis' usage of Akerius/Aquarius technology which proved to be more than a match for Earth's mighty wave motion gun fleet. If a barbarian and simple nomadic race like Gatlantis could bring such destruction with limited access of Akerius technology, what chances would Garmillas have if they encounter another alien race that uses it to its fullest potential?

"Hey Anika, are you okay?" asked Jonathan, noticing that she had spaced out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Anika as she shook herself out of her thoughts. "Just thinking about what you said earlier. Honestly, this is the worse time for the Garmillas Empire to be attacked by a new foe. Most of the colonized worlds are already rattled about the recent war we fought with Gatlantis and are doubting Garmillas' ability to protect and defend them from invaders."

Anika took a deep breath and sighed. "We really needed a morale booster, something to give the Garmillans and other colonized races like us Zalti to have reassurance in the military and the government. I fear that the Garmillas will never again regain the glory it once had."

"Well, no superpower lasts forever as history has taught us," noted Jonathan. "But at least Garmillas will no longer have to fight its battles alone. The alliance between our two worlds has stood firm against Gatlantis's wrath, and it will be the same again with this new foe of ours."

Jonathan turned to Anika with a confident smile. "Don't worry Anika, we'll beat them. It will be just like the old days eh?"

Anika smiled in return. "Well not quite like back then, but thanks for the encouragement."

Jonathan and Anika raised their hands and did a friendly fist bump with one another. The lift door parts open and Jonathan politely gestured for her to leave first. "After you."

Anika nodded and proceed to exit the lift followed by Jonathan.

* * *

Half an hour later, the _Audacious_ and the two escorting Fubuki-class frigates exited out of the dimensional warp wormholes and arrived in the sector of space where Garmillan Starbase 239 was located.

"Warp completed!" said Jonathan from the navigation console. "We just arrived at the far vicinity of Garmillan Starbase 239. We should be close enough to contact them."

"Ensign Gibson, please hail the Garmillan starbase," ordered Erickson.

"Yes captain," replied Johanna as she worked on the comms console. "SOS to Garmillan Starbase 239, this is UNCF _Audacious_ of Task Force EGU-2 on an emergency channel. Our captain would like to speak to-"

Johanna turned to Anika and Otto who were present in the bridge. "Erm, who's in charge of the base again?"

"Major General Gudell," Anika replied.

"Major General Gudell," Johanna continued as she turned back onto her headphones. "Our task force was massacred by a large mobile space fortress at sector NGC 1747 of unknown origin. We're what's left of our battle group and are requesting permission to dock to transfer badly wounded survivors to a medical facility immediately!"

Seconds pass, but there is no answer to the distress call.

"Audacious to Garmillan Starbase 239 are you there?" asked Johanna. "Garmillan Starbase 239 do you copy?"

Johanna turned to the rest of the bridge crew. "Sir I am unable to contact the Garmillan space station."

Otto walked over to the comms console. "Are you sure your comms system is working?"

"Positive!" replied Johanna as she run though a quick diagnosis check on her station's programs and systems. "Long range communications are still fried but the medium and short-range comms are still working. We should be in well in range to call your starbase."

"Maybe they're occupied," said Josiah. "After all that Garmillan Spaceport is one of the busiest in the Garmillas Empire, right? They are probably handling the arrival and departure of other ships in the area."

"That is true," replied Anika. "But they can't ignore a priority emergency call. Especially since we're not supposed to return until months later following the war games."

"Wait a second," said Johanna as she came to halt. "No transmissions."

"I beg your pardon?" said a puzzled Josiah.

"You said that the Garmillan Starbase should be busy with handling ships arriving and departing in this area, am I right?" asked Johanna.

"Yeah what about it?" replied Josiah.

"In that case my console should have picked up dozens of busy calls and transmissions from the starbase to other ships in this sector. But there is nothing! It's completely dead silent! In fact, there isn't anyone else except us on an open broadcast."

An uneasy feeling came over Erickson's gut as he thought about Johanna's words. "Eddie would mind if you initiate a full radar and sensor sweep of the area? See if there are any ships aside from us in the area near Garmillan Starbase 239."

"Working on it sir," replied Eddie.

"Anika, how many vessels usually patrol here?" asked Erickson as Eddie went about his job with the radar and sensor console.

"About at least one or two dozen at most," Anika replied. "It depends on their patrol schedules."

"Radar sweeps completed. This can't be right!" reported Eddie with a worried look on his face. "There isn't a single ship in the entire sector! Aside from the station's large signature, I detect multiple smaller contacts in tight groupings that are spread out in various areas around the-"

Eddie face whitens in horror as the smaller grouped contacts were identified by his radar as metallic debris. "Oh my gosh! The patrol ships! They've been destroyed!"

Everyone froze in shock, alarmed by the possibility that Garmillan Starbase 239 might be compromised.

"Commander Lee, get us in visual range of the base now!" exclaimed Erickson. "All hands set to level 2 battle stations! Lieutenant Anton bring all weapons systems on standby! Eddie scan for any hostile ships in the vicinity! Gibson, tell the frigates to stay close and prep their weapons for combat!"

"Aye captain!" cried everyone as the bridge crew scrambled to fulfil their duties. Two minutes later, the _Audacious_ and her two escorts arrived close enough to get a look at the status of the colossal Garmillan space station.

"Captain, we're in visual range of Garmillan Starbase 239," reported Eddie.

Everyone looked at the viewscreen, awaiting to see what had become of the massive space station. Erickson took a deep breath and gave the order. "Put in on the main panel, maximum magnification."

A moment later, the viewscreen materializes its video feed resulting in gasps of disbelief and horror from the bridge crew of the _Audacious_ and its Garmillan guests as they gaze upon the critically battered state of Garmillan Starbase 239. Their intended haven to seek refuge and reinforcements, was all but destroyed.

* * *

Author Notes: _Another chapter, another cliffhanger! XD.  
Jokes aside, I personally think there are those among Earth who aren't particularly happy on how Starsha is adamant about her ideals against the wave motion gun considering what they been through during their long war with Garmillas, nor would they be pleased that she hid information regarding the details of where her planet was located (aka the heart of then enemy territory) during that desperate voyage to Iscandar._

_Also despite the fact that Garmillas and Earth are now allies, there is still tension between the two as some aren't so forgiving over what happened in that long conflict and old grudges and suspicions still exist, even after winning their common fight against Gatlantis._

_As for when the next chapter would be released, the earliest I can possibly do is most likely mid or late September as I got some studies to concentrate on. Till then, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one! _


	7. Searching in the Shadowy Ruins

**Chapter 7 - Searching in the ****Shadowy ****Ruins**

Jonathan clenched his teeth in fury as he looked at the wrecked Garmillan Starbase 239. The once proud and beautiful city in space had all its triangular glass domes broken and shattered. Inside them, the rounded and slim bottle shaped buildings were either toppled over or marred by deep gashed within their sides that poured out trails of smoke that eventually vented into empty space. Two out of six of the branches of the six-side starbase that connected to their smaller dock facilities were brutally separated from the main body and left adrift. The only illumination the mangled and titanic space facility had were the flickers of a few internal lights that were barely running on power along with the docking hangars which seemed to be still intact.

_Damn it! I knew something didn't felt right just before we left!_ Jonathan thought to himself.

"Impossible! That it's simply not possible!" stammered Otto in disbelief. "That facility was armed with enough positron beam turrets and missile launchers to fend itself from an entire fleet!"

"And don't forget its patrol ships too," added an equally stunned Josiah. "The defensive screen they provided should have given sufficient time for the starbase to ready its own defences to resist a devastating siege of this scale!"

"What sort of force could infiltrate this deep into Garmillas' territory undetected and attack a large space port without warning!?" said Jonathan. "Did the mobile space fortress get ahead of us!?"

"I'm not sure," replied a deeply troubled Anika. "No known ship could perform a jump from here to sector NGC 1747 in that short span of time! Even with the most advanced and efficient engines, usually it takes at least one and a half hours with three Geschtam jumps to cross that distance! So technically it shouldn't have arrived here at least for another half an hour from now!"

"Unless the mobile space fortress's own warp or geschtam engines are more advanced than ours," Otto pointed out. "We're dealing with an unknown alien race after all."

"Eddie, can you determine what attacked Garmillan Starbase 239?" asked Erickson.

"Negative sir," the radar officer shook his head. "It will difficult to tell unless we get a closer inspection on the blast marks."

"What about survivors?" asked Jonathan. "Perhaps they know who or what was responsible for this devastation."

"Commander Lee if you hadn't noticed, most of the levels of the Garmillan starbase have been breached." Fujimoto pointed out. "With that level of extensive damage, I don't there is a breathable atmosphere inside. Nobody could have survived that!"

"That's probably true," replied Jonathan. "But I'm willing to bet a couple of survivors managed to get into some EV suits and are hiding deep inside waiting for rescue. We can't just sit here and let them die!"

"I agree," added Anika. "Considering how big Starbase 239 is, there could be dozens of personnel and residents that might be still alive. We've got to try and save them."

Erickson nodded in approval. "Very well. Commander Lee, take us in to dock and prep an away team for the rescue operation. Garmillan officers Welmer and Geiszler will aid you to navigate inside Garmillan Starbase 239."

"Aye sir," replied the three officers in unison.

"Ensign Gibson," Erickson turned his attention to Johanna. "Inform the _Foudroyant_ and _Havant_ to form a tight and close defensive perimeter near the Garmillan starbase. I want them to be on the lookout for whoever attacked this facility and have their weapons primed and ready for a fight. Until the _Audacious_ detaches herself from the dock, they are currently our only line of defense."

"Will do sir!" said Johanna as she went about relaying the orders to the escort frigates.

* * *

After the _Audacious_ docked itself at Docking Bay 4C, the rescue and search party, consisting of Erickson, Jonathan, Anika, Otto, along with six other security personnel, entered the dimly lighted arrival and departure terminal lobby in their respective EV suits. They were equipped with medical kits, a few laser pistols and semi-auto rifles for self-defense, and helmet-mounted torch lights to illuminate the area. As team split up and explored throughout the ruined lobby with their lights illuminating all around, the extent of the carnage was revealed: several kiosks and tables were either broken or riddled with holes, and a couple of baggage trolleys and small hover forklifts used to carry shipments were overturned.

"Looks like artificial gravity is still working," commented Warrant Officer Bunting, one of the security members who volunteered to join the mission. "All the debris here are lying on the floor."

"That's to be expected," replied Otto as he scanned though the rest of the ruined lobby. "If I recall the starbase's technical systems, the artificial gravity generators can switch to their own backup batteries in case the main power went down."

"Well that's convenient for us," remarked Jonathan. "I guess we don't need to magnetize our boots to stabilize-"

Jonathan stopped mid-sentence as his torchlight illuminated dozens of mangled and bloodied bodies lay scattered across the floor. Jonathan's face paled as he found himself temporary transported back onto the shambled bridge of the _Dover_. He could see his fellow bridge crew members lying dead and remember the smell their scotched flesh that was burnt from the fires. The young XO struggled to contain himself from trembling uncontrollably from the gory sight as he snapped out of his traumatic illusion. Ignoring the rest of his away party members moving in to check the bodies, Jonathan quickly turned away in the opposite direction and hastily walked over to a nearby wall. As he supported himself with one hand while leaning on the wall, the panic-stricken XO tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths.

"Commander Lee are you alright?" asked Erickson, who noticed Jonathan's trembling form.

"Sorry Captain," gasped Jonathan. "I just need a minute."

Erickson observed his deputy captain with concern, he had read medical reports about Jonathan having panic attacks during his recovery after the Battle of the Mars Defense Line. Although Jonathan had been cleared for duty by the medical staff, Erickson wondered if their decision was premature.

"Commander, if this is too much, you can stay back on the ship."

"What?" Jonathan eyes widen in surprise before narrowing in firm determination. "No thanks, I can handle this mission sir."

"Are you sure?" asked Erickson.

"Yes," Jonathan scowled in annoyance. "I am just a little shell-shocked, but I am fine, really."

"Very well," said Erickson quietly. "But if you really aren't able to handle this. I suggest you better get back on the _Audacious_ till we're done."

"Understood Captain," replied Jonathan flatly before walking back to the group.

_Get a grip on yourself Jonathan_ the XO thought to himself. _Can't afford to look miserable right now in front of everyone._

"So, any survivors here?" Jonathan asked Anika, who had returned from surveying bodies in the ruined lobby.

Anika shook her head somberly.

"I see…" Jonathan said as he pressed his hand onto his forehead.

"Are you okay?" asked Anika with concern. "You look a bit pale."

"It's nothing okay?" Jonathan insisted sharply. "Just a bit shell-shocked. That's all."

Anika was taken back Jonathan's cold reply. She didn't expect him to act so defensively. Before she could respond, Erickson called out to all the members of the team.

"Ok everyone, report back here for mission debrief!"

The rescue team gathered around a holographic map display of the Garmillan starbase which Otto had just managed to fix from one of the battered information kiosks.

"Lieutenant Commander Anika, since you know the layout of this starbase, would you do the honors of telling of the rescue plan?" asked Erickson.

"Sure," replied Anika, turning her attention to the holographic projection. "As you can see here, Garmillan Starbase 239 has six emergency shelters within the central body of this facility. Each of them able to house about nearly a hundred or more so officers, staff members, etc and has its own independent life support systems. If survivors are still on this station, they would most likely be found there."

"They're quite spread far apart from one another," commented Erickson. "It will take at least two hours and a half to search every one of them, and our oxygen tanks can't last that long."

"Exactly," said Anika in agreement. "Which is why we should split into two teams. The first team will head to the nearest emergency shelter to check out for survivors while the other heads for the control room to access it's systems to confirm if there are other survivors in any of the remaining five shelters."

"Where is the control center?" asked Erickson.

"Right there," Anika pointed to tallest building, located at the center of the starbase. "It will take about half an hour from the terminal to reach it. Sub Lieutenant Geiszler should be able to gain access the starbase's computers and data logs and provide the information we need."

"Provided if they're not damaged too badly," Otto added. "Also, it's going to be hard to access some of the information since they have high clearance levels and passwords that neither myself or Anika currently have."

"In that case, I guess you'll have to improvise," said Erickson. "Can you hack into the system and gain control?"

"Erm... I... d-don't think that's legal..." stammered Otto nervously.

"Relax Otto," Anika assured him. "Considering we're doing this to save lives, top brass will probably let this slide. Probably."

"If you say so," gulped the Garmillan radar officer.

"Well, since the plan is now set, we should get a move on," said Erickson. "Commander Lee, you'll escort Mr. Geiszler to the control tower along with Bunting and Wilson. You five will be the Beta Team. The rest of us will be in the Alpha Team which will recon to the nearest shelter. Understood?"

"Aye sir!" replied all the members of the away team.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes of walking through multiple corridors and streets later, Jonathan's team had entered the main lobby of the control room. Passing through the broken doors, the four found themselves inside the dark main lobby, looking just as battered and shambled as the terminal docking lobby with dead bodies sprawled all over the floor in pools of blood. Jonathan tried his best to ignore the gory sight and joined Otto who had walked over to a nearby information bulletin to find out on which floor the control room was located. With the help of his flashlight, Jonathan breezed through the various other facilities on the list and finally found the address they were looking for.

"Huh, it's on the forty-fifth floor," Jonathan commented. "It's going to take a while to climb up the stairs via foot."

"I'll see whether the elevators are still functioning," said Otto as he rushed to the elevator lobby and pressed a few of its buttons on the control panel. "However, considering how much damage this building took, I doubt that any of them are still working. "

Before he could react, one of the four pairs of doors parted revealing a brightly lit elevator car. Taking a step inside, Otto tested some of the buttons and checked the display panel to see if any of the guide rails and controls were undamaged.

"Huh, never mind" said Otto as he found no apparent problems within the elevator car or its systems.

Turning towards the direction of the Cosmo Navy officers, Otto called to rest of the search party. "This one is alright, we're clear to go!"

Jonathan and the other two guards joined Otto inside the elevator and pressed the forty-fifth floor button. The doors closed with a metallic lock, followed by the quiet hum of the elevator car moving upwards. A minute later, the four arrived at the forty-fifth floor, and the doors slide open to reveal a dark corridor with broken pieces of ceiling and metal lying on the floor. Jonathan and Otto walked out first, with the former shining the light at a direction sign along with a map written on the wall in front of the duo.

"Well? Which way do we go?" asked Jonathan to Otto who was examining the map which displayed several addresses of various rooms written in Garmillan.

"That way," said Otto who pointed to the left side after finding their destination. "A turn to the left and then to the right, we should be at the first security door."

"Alright then," said Jonathan as he indicated with his hand to the two security officers to take the lead into the dark and foreboding area.

As they walked further inside the wrecked building, Jonathan tripped upon a broken metal frame, causing him to crash onto the floor with a loud thud, spooking Otto in the process.

"Ahhh!" screamed Otto as he pulled out his laser pistol and pointed it at Jonathan's direction

"Whoa Geiszler!" cried Jonathan in alarm. "Calm down it's just me!"

Otto gasped and sighed deeply in relief as he put down his laser pistol.

"Sorry sir, you nearly scared me out of my wits."

"That's okay," reassured Jonathan as he pull himself up. "Just cool your nerves ok?"

"_Anything wrong back there?_" asked Bunting's voice on the comms within their helmets, who had gone ahead of the two.

"Nothing," Jonathan called out. "Just tripped in the dark that's all. False alarm."

"_Ok then_," replied the voice of Bunting. "_By the way, we just entered the control room and so fair it seems clear, but you might want to see this._"

Jonathan and Otto hurried themselves around a corner and found what was left of the entrance to the control rooms: The thick and once robust doors that guarded the nerve center of the entire starbase were left twisted and broken as if they were blasted by an powerful explosive force from the inside. The first entrance had one door still barely hanging on its frame via its strained and bent hinges, while the inner doorway had both of its doors ripped from its hinges and lying charred and burnt on the floor.

"Whoa," muttered Jonathan to himself as they both went through the two wrecked doorways.

Jonathan and Otto walked into the control room and just stopped at the sight that greeted them. The large window viewscreen display of the control room in front of them was completed destroyed, leaving a gigantic hole that exposed the inside of the building to the open atmosphere outside, or in this case the vacuum of space as the glass pyramid-like dome that covered the buildings was breached. After spacing out at the sight for several seconds, Otto manged to snap out of his trance. "I guess I'll start working on rebooting the computers."

While Otto went to fix one of the monitors within the control room, Jonathan was still transfixed by the devastation around him. The whole scene looked too much like the wrecked bridge of his old ship. Before another image of the _Dover_ came to his mind, Jonathan clenched his teeth tight and eyes shut and tried his best to suppress that traumatic memory.

_Just don't think about it_ he thought to himself. _You're on a Garmillan station, not a Dreadnought-class battleship's bridge. Stay focused and calm yourself._

Taking a few deep and slow breaths, Jonathan opened his eyes and the vision of his painful experience dissipated. Sighing in relief, the young XO walked towards the massive gaping hole and stared at the other damaged buildings and the roads bellow, hoping to preoccupy his mind with something else.

"Looks like something blasted its way through into the control room and just killed everyone in it before they got a chance to escape," commented Bunting as he approached Jonathan who continued to look at the view outside. "Probably blew through the main doors too."

"Indeed, but the question is what or who?"

Just then, Jonathan's comm radio in his EV suit started beeping which signaled a call from the other search party.

"_Alpha Team to Beta do you copy?_" came the voice of Captain Erickson.

"Beta leader here, we just arrived in the control room and Otto's currently working on getting the databanks online," answered Jonathan. "What's up Captain?"

"_We arrived at the nearest emergency shelter while you were on your way to the control tower,_" answered Erickson. "_And it looks like we have a problem_."

"Problem? What happened?"

* * *

In another area within Starbase 239, Captain Erickson shook his head at the bloody sight that laid before him. Inside the emergency shelter, laid the bodies of at least a dozen Garmillan men and woman.

"We found a dozen dead garmillans inside the emergency shelter who appeared to have been gunned down mercilessly," Erickson continued.

"_Gunned down_?" came Jonathan's bewildered voice on the comms channel.

"Affirmative," replied Anika dispassionately, as she tried not to quiver at the grim sight. "It seems that something broke through the sealed doors of the shelter and slaughtered all who were in it."

"_Broke through huh? Same could be said up here in the control room_," Jonathan replied. "_Something definitely blasted though the wall up here from the outside and killed the entire staff up here._"

"No survivors huh?" mumbled Anika softly as she clenched her fist in anger. "This isn't just a sneak attack. This is outright genocide! I've never seen such brutal and cruel attacks since-"

"_The War against Gatlantis,_" Jonathan finished her sentence with a similar dark tone. "_Yeah, I am getting some déjà vu up here too._"

"Commander Lee, how are you holding up?" asked Erickson, wondering whether his deputy officer was still mentally stable.

"_Fine for the moment_," replied Jonathan's voice in an honest but exasperated tone. "_I wish you didn't keep bringing that up Captain_."

Anika frowned slightly as heard the exchange between both UNCF officers via the comms channel. Was Jonathan mentally fit to lead his team to the control room? As much as she wished to know of her friend's well-being, it was irrelevant to ponder about it now as they had a mission to fulfill.

"By the way, has Sub Lieutenant Geiszler gained access to the main computers of the control room yet?" asked Anika.

* * *

Jonathan looked back towards Otto who was still struggling to fix the circuits that supplied power to the screens and monitors of the control room.

"Not yet," replied Jonathan. "We just arrived here two minutes ago, but considering the damage this place has taken, it's going to be a while before we reboot this place up."

"Hey Captain Erickson," Otto called on his comms radio as he worked from underneath a power grid console. "I might have the control room's systems up and running in about two minutes. Not sure how long it will take to pull up the surveillance and security records of the starbase once after I turned them on, but I'll let you know once I'm done."

"_Copy that Sub Lieutenant Geiszler_," Erickson's voice came back on the comms channel. "_We'll hold our position here and await the news once you're finished_."

"Roger that Captain," replied Jonathan. "We'll inform you once we're done. Commander Lee out!"

Turning off the main comms radio frequency from the other team, Jonathan sighed as he once again looked out of the gaping hole and up at the giant glass-like canopy over the buildings which had several broken punctures that exposed the entire station's atmosphere to the vacuum of space. Peering closer at them, Jonathan noticed that the holes of the glass canopy were unusually large and were in groups of pairs which were apart from one other.

"Mr Geiszler," asked Jonathan. "Would you be also able to download a record of what happen to the station prior to our arrival?"

Otto looked up from his monitor that he was fixing. "Sure, once I get this computer up and running, I'll see whether I can download the memory logs. Just need to connect it to the auxiliary generators. Ah ha! There we go!"

With a few more tweaks, all the display monitors and interface consoles lit up like a Christmas tree which illuminated the dimly lit room.

"It works!" Otto beamed to himself. "All computer systems are rebooting normally. Looks like the mainframe wasn't that badly damaged after all!"

"Nice job Mr. Geiszler!" said Jonathan. "Start checking to see if there are any survivors in the emergency shelters."

"Yes Commander Lee," Otto replied happily. "Will be checking the surveillance cameras and sensors while downloading those said logs you asked for."

Jonathan activated his comms channel and contacted the other search party. "Alpha to Beta team, we have the control room up and running."

"_Good work Alpha Team_," came the voice of Erickson. "_Has Mr. Geiszler found out how many survivors are in the emergency bunkers?_"

"Still working on it," replied Otto as he breezed through several control interfaces on the screen. "Accessing surveillance cameras for emergency bunkers 1 through 6."

Pressing the command key to enter, a red sign with big bold words in the Garmillan language flare up in his screen.

"Ugh, I knew this would happen," cursed Otto. "I don't have the clearance to access it."

"Can you bypass it?" asked Jonathan. "You know like hack into it?"

Otto pressed his lips together as he was deep in thought. With his previous experiences in the Garmillas Department of Defence, Otto knew he could bypass the security firewalls by initiating a software patch update into the system and enter its restricted sectors with his old credentials' clearance codes. He had done it a couple of times as a computer systems programmer for several ships and starbases for a short period of time, but it was always under the supervision of higher-ranking officers who have very little tolerance for insubordination or improvising. It was the fear of their wrath and potential reprimand that held him back.

"Well technically I could, but it's illegal," stammered Otto. "I don't have the authorization to do so!"

Jonathan sighed in exasperation. "Look, I get you don't have the official permission to get into the security system, but when lives are at risk sometimes you need to break protocol to save them."

"But what if the top brass doesn't approve?" said Otto.

"Well to quote an old Terron saying 'Either I'll be decorated, or court-martialed,'" Jonathan replied. "I know its hard decision, but it's the only way we can move forward. Also, we're running out of time. So could you start working please?"

Otto leaned back on the chair he was sitting, closed his eyes and sighed.

"Very well," he muttered to himself. "Hopefully I won't get shot for this."

Leaning in forwards to the monitor he keyed in several new commands and activated a new display screen where he typed in a new password and entered into the starbase's surveillance system.

"Ok, I'm in," said Otto. "Just need to find the cameras and sensors for the five other emergency bunkers."

Jonathan watched closely as Otto worked on his interface screen. "Well? What's the status?"

"Hold on, I just accessed the cameras and the sensors to the bunkers. Initiating a scan for life signs now. It won't take that long."

* * *

Back inside the ruined emergency shelter, Erickson's away team awaited the news of the other search party at the control room. To pass the time, Anika was covering all the dead bodies inside the shelter one by one with tablecloths she took from a nearby derelict restaurant in tribute to the fallen.

"Do you recognize any of these men?" asked Erickson who was watching the Zalti young lady.

"Not personally," Anika replied. "But the staff and personnel on this starbase were really pleasant people to meet and work with every time I visited this place."

Anika sadly shook her head as she looked over the covered bodies. "A real tragedy considering this starbase's history."

"What do you mean?" asked Erickson.

"After the fall of the Dessler Regime, one of the major reforms within the military was to give second class officers and enlisted men equal standing among the pure-blood garmillans. This change wasn't fully accepted by some of the pure-blooded garmillans, especially on higher ranking ships. So, in order to encourage mutual coexistence between the two classes, this massive starbase was commissioned to be the first outpost to implement the reform policy in hopes of inspiring other ships and the crews who visited to follow suit. It took a while as some ships with strong patriotism within their crews avoided it despite being a strategical space port, but over time it was mostly embraced within the Garmillas military as the friendly and efficient atmosphere made it a popular site to visit."

"Huh, I didn't know about that," Erickson commented. "No wonder the top brass of our governments decided that the fleet briefing for the exercise should take place here."

"In a way Starbase 239 represents the best of the new Garmillas Empire," said Anika in agreement. "I just hope its destruction doesn't mark the end of that dream."

Just then, the comms channel piped up with Jonathan's voice. "_Beta Team to Alpha Team, do you copy? We've a situation._"

Erickson tuned in to the closed channel that was connected to Jonathan's team. "Alpha to Beta, we hear you loud and clear. What's wrong?"

"_We just finished accessing the surveillance monitors of the other bunkers. Out of the other five bunkers, three were occupied by a hundred and fifteen personnel and staff members in total. But... I regret to report that all of them are dead_."

Both Erickson and Anika's eyes widen in shock.

"All of them!?" replied a stunned Anika.

"_Unfortunately, yes_," replied Jonathan grimly. "_We can't exactly determine who or what killed them from the live feed, but I presume they were killed in the same fashion as those in bunker 1. Right now Otto is downloading the sensor and data logs of the starbase from the past 24 hours so we can find whoever is responsible for this attack. By the way Captain, since our rescue mission is now irrelevant, what are our orders now?_"

As Erickson was pondering over the new information that Jonathan had given, Anika heard a faint but weird mechanical sound coming from outside the bunker. Curious to find out the source, she stepped outside the doorway and looked around using her flashlight to illuminate the area, but there was nothing she saw that seemed out of the ordinary to have caused the sound.

"What is it?" said one of the security detail members who was guarding the doorway.

"Did you hear that?" asked Anika.

"Hear what?"

"That whizzing sound."

Again, the strange metallic humming noise was heard, but its perpetrator still couldn't be seen. Anika stared at the direction of where the sound was coming from. It seemed to be originating from around the left corner of the restaurant she had recently been in and out while collecting tablecloth sheets for the casualties inside the bunker.

_Could it be survivors?_ Anika thought to herself in hopeful optimism.

The security officer also examined the direction Anika was looking with a pair of binoculars in night vision mode. But after gazing for a dozen seconds, there wasn't anything he could see that caused the disturbance.

"I don't see anything, could be some machinery within the buildings that is malfunctioning," said the guard. "Possibly an automated door or elevator."

"Should we investigate?"

"You'll probably need to ask permission of the captain first," replied the guard. "After all he is in charge."

"Very well I'll go and ask him, in the meantime keep watch for anything out there," said Anika as she went back inside the emergency bunker.

"No problem Miss Welmer."

As the guard continue to keep lookout over the entrance of the bunker, he failed to notice a large T-shape silhouette moving quickly among the shadows.

* * *

Author Notes: _Nothing to add for now. Just heard the news that the sequel to Yamato 2202 was announced last week. So far there isn't any details regarding the story only the title, Yamato 2205: A New Voyage, which suggests the possibility of a remake of the Dark Nebula Arc despite the fact I heard reports that there aren't going to be any more remakes and prioritizing on making original new stories.  
__Harutoshi Fukui has been confirmed to return as the writer of the new series which kind of dampens my enthusiasm for the next Yamato series as I wasn't really a fan of his storytelling in 2202. Nevertheless, I am still interested to see what's next in store for the _Yamato _and of course Garmillas and the Earth Federation itself with all their lovely ships and commanders.  
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one because it's going to be a shocker! ;) _


	8. From Nightmare to Reality

**Chapter 8 - From Nightmare to Reality **

In the control room, there was a quiet pause as Jonathan's away team waited for instructions from Erickson.

"Well Commander Lee?" asked Bunting. "What's the current plan?"

"Hold on, the captain hasn't replied yet," said Jonathan.

The comms crackled back with Erickson's voice. "_Commander Lee, continue with the extraction of the sensor and data logs of the station. Once you're done, rendezvous with us back at the docking bay terminal__. We'll start making our way there_."

"Aye Captain, we'll see you later-"

"No! That's impossible! It can't be…" cried Otto in alarm.

Jonathan swung his head around to see Otto trembling in fear and his face white as sheet.

"Geiszler, what's wrong?" asked Jonathan. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I… I… just viewed the footage… of what attacked… the emergency bunkers…" Otto stammered uncontrollably. "And… and… it was… it was…"

Jonathan walked over to the interface screen to see what had frighten Otto this time. "Was what? What could possibly be so scary that you can't even mention its-"

Jonathan didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he recognized the ruthless machine that was clearly shown on the recording: It was a Needleslave! The notorious automated battle machine of Gatlantis!

_Wh… What the heck!?_ Jonathan's eyes widened both in terror and confusion. _What was that murderous genocidal weapon doing here? After all this time!?_

Bunting, who also had joined Jonathan, was also stunned at revelation of the culprit responsible for the emergency bunkers' massacres. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah..." replied Jonathan quietly, eyes still fixated on the screen. "There's no doubt about it."

"But how?" cried Otto. "I thought those things were shut down for good after the Gatlantis Empire collapsed when Golem was activated!"

"We'll worry about that later," said Jonathan. "If that Needleslave and more of its kind are still out here, we need to warn the others before it finds and attacks them."

The deputy captain quickly switched on his comms and tried to contact the other away team of their horrifying discovery.

"Alpha Team to Beta Team, this is an urgent warning!" yelled Jonathan. "Gatlantean Needleslaves are responsible for the massacre inside the bunkers and are on the loose! I say again, Gatlantis Needleslaves are on the loose! Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

To Jonathan's dismay, the reply to his call was a garbled transmission filled distinct screams and laser-fire in the background.

_Erickson! Anika!_ Jonathan's heart sank; his warning had come too late.

* * *

Back on the _Audacious_, the bridge crew were anxiously waiting for the away team to return from their mission. It had been nearly an hour after the Captain and XO left, and since then there had been no word from them or any member of the away team.

"Are they back yet?" yawned Josiah, being bored out of his mind.

"Lieutenant Anton, for the third time: no!" replied an irritated Fujimoto, who was temporary appointed command of the ship till the Captain and XO returned.

Turning to the comms officer, Fujimoto asked for any updates from the away team. "Anything?"

Johanna shook her head. "Negative sir, they're still quiet. But considering we're soon passing their scheduled deadline to report in; we should break radio silence and contact them ourselves."

"I agree," concurred Eddie. "Though I would prefer to follow the Captain's orders on maintaining radio silence, it would be comforting to know what's the status of their mission."

Fujimoto sighed in exasperation, regretting on not having proposing an alternative plan to the Captain. He had personally believed that searching for survivors was a complete waste of time as it was unlikely to find any in the station's shambled state. In his mind, it would have been more prudent to go to another allied space station or planet and inform the higher ups of the situation and let them handle it instead. Nevertheless, he had to stick with his superior officers' commands, even if Fujimoto didn't agree with them.

"Ensign Gibson," ordered Fujimoto. "If we don't receive any word from the away team in less than four mins, break radio silence and contact them immediately. I want to request the captain to consider of abandoning the search-"

Before the chief engineer could finish his statement, Johanna's console started beeping away.

"Excuse me sir," apologized Johanna. "I got an emergency call from one of our frigates."

The long black-haired comms officer turned her attention to her console and listened intently to the transmission from one of the two Fubuki-class escort frigates.

"Eh!?" blurted out Johanna in surprise. "Are you sure about this?"

Johanna turned around to face Fujimoto, her face bright with concern. "Sir, _Havant_ reports three dozen warp-in readings at the edge of this sector!"

"Three dozen!?" Fujimoto was started by this unexpected news. "Have they identified the newcomers?"

"Not yet," replied Johanna. "Both the _Havant_ and the _Foudroyant_ are moving in closer to get a clearer identification of the new contacts."

Upon hearing this news, Eddie immediately linked up his radar and sensor systems with those of the two escort frigates to get live feed on the unknown vessels. Looking at his tactical displays carefully, he noticed that at least twenty ships were swiftly separating themselves from the main formation into two individual groups, seemingly bent on surrounding the _Havant_ and _Foudroyant_ from both flanks. Whoever those new ships were, they were certainly not friendly.

"Unidentified targets are coming into visual range of our escorts," reported Eddie. "Putting up a live visual transmission from both vessels now."

The main viewscreen lit up to show a swarm of tiny specs in the black background of space, moving in fast and closer towards the foreground. As the mysterious vessels came nearer to the camera's view, their colors and profile became more distinct and identifiable: Escort-type warships painted in light green and white colors and heavily armed with rotatable turrets that had multiple gun ports all around its circumference. There was no mistaking their identity.

"Are those Gatlantean ships!?" exclaimed Johanna as her jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Impossible!" Josiah shook his head in denial. "They were all wiped out after Gatlantis fell nine months ago!"

"Wiped out or not, it's their ships alright!" said Eddie as his radar properly classified the enemy vessels. "The two lead enemy vanguards consist of twelve Kukulkan-class attack destroyers and eight Lascaux-class strike cruisers! They're going to surround the _Havant_ and _Foudroyant_!"

Sure enough, the Gatlantean vessels had trapped the two Fubuki-class frigates from all sides, like sharks surrounding their helpless prey. With the frigates locked in their sights, the green and white enemy ships fired their impulse turrets in rapid succession. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the two brave escort frigates let loose their own shock cannons in return and tried evading the deadly spray of green energy beams using their high agility.

* * *

Inside the control room of Starbase 239, Jonathan was frantically trying to contact the Beta away team on the comms. "Captain Erickson? Anika? Do you copy?"

_Damn it!_ Jonathan cursed himself in frustration. He had to get down and assist his superior officer and colleagues.

As Jonathan turned and began to walk out of the control room, Bunting noticed his departure and stopped him before he could leave.

"Where do you think you're going sir?"

"Step aside Bunting," Jonathan ordered coldly. "I am going to assist the captain and the other away team."

"With all due respect sir, you're can't leave just yet!" Bunting firmly replied. "The data we need hasn't been fully downloaded and we still have orders to head back to the ship!"

"But I can't just leave the captain and the others to die!"

"And how exactly are you going to find your way to the bunker on your own?" argued Bunting. "By the time you get there they would be already dead. Besides one additional man isn't going to make a difference against an unknown number of Needleslaves!"

Jonathan lowered his head in defeat knowing that Bunting was right. Without Otto's guidance, he wouldn't be able to find the quickest route to the bunker. And even if Otto came with Jonathan, the chances of reaching the bunker before every member of the Beta away team was killed were very slim. Though the facts were undeniable, Jonathan still wished that he could do something to help them out.

As Jonathan tried to deny the inevitable outcome, his comms started beeping. It was a transmission from the Beta Team! The XO quickly switched on his comms channel in his environmental suit.

"Hello? Are you guys alright? Captain? Anika?"

After a few seconds of static, a familiar female voice finally responded. "_Ahh damn! I should have known that noise was from a Needleslave! Most of us are fine, but we took one casualty! Lucky for us it was only one Needleslave and we were able to take it down quickly!_"

Jonathan breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God! I thought you were goners!"

"_So did we_," came in the voice of Erickson. "_But for some odd reason it was armed with energy-based guns rather than the typical red spear launchers_."

"Well I'm glad the team survived," said Bunting. "That was a really lucky break."

"_Indeed it was_," agreed Erickson. "_How's things progressing on your end?_"

"Well…"

Before Jonathan could reply, Otto suddenly yelled triumphantly as he held up a data drive up in the air with his right hand." Good news guys! Download of sensor and data logs completed!"

"Oh, well done Mr. Geiszler!" Jonathan replied before turning his attentions back to the comms. "I guess we're done here captain! We'll meet you back at the docking bay terminal as planned."

"_Copy that Commander Lee_," replied Erickson. "_We're getting out of here before things get really nasty!_"

Minutes after the team left the tower that held the control room, the comms within their suits started beeping again. This time, a transmission from the _Audacious_.

"Audacious _to away teams do you read?_" came the voice of Johanna. "_We've got a serious situation! Gatlantean warships are attacking the starbase!_"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, perplexed by Johanna's unbelievable report. Jonathan on the other hand, started to quiver slightly at the mere mention of the word 'Gatlantean', especially since he was already shaken by the reappearance of the Needleslaves.

"Oi Gibson, is this some kind of joke?" asked Bunting.

"_It isn't damn it!_" replied Johanna desperately. "_The_ Foudroyant _and_ Havant _are currently fighting for their lives against Gatlantean cruisers and destroyers! Can't you see the space battle from the transparent canopy!?_"

Everyone from both search parties looked up at the starry sky in unison. Sure enough, the distinct flashes of green and blue bolts of energy could be seen along with a few explosions that lighted up briefly at random.

* * *

In another area of the starbase, Erickson grabbed his binoculars and zoomed in at the raging space battle. For a brief few seconds, he recognized the silhouettes of two Kukulkan-class destroyers darting in and out of his view.

_Gatlantean ships and battle mecha units reappearing now after all this time? Did some Gatlateans survive the Golem purge after all?_ Thought Erickson. Regardless of how and why the Gatlanteans have returned, there was only one thing left to do.

"Everyone, back to the _Audacious_ ASAP!" yelled Erickson on the comms.

"_Yes sir!_" replied everyone.

As Erickson's group dashed for Docking Bay 4C, Anika asked the captain a question. "Why hasn't the _Audacious_ left the starbase and assisted the frigates yet? If it's just escort type ships, surely she can handle them on her own on autopilot!"

"The _Audacious_' autopilot in battle mode isn't that reliable due to technical problems," Erickson answered as he sprinted. "She was scheduled for a software patch fix prior to her departure for the exercise, but unfortunately it was delayed till the Tuesday after the exercise was finished."

"Seriously?" said a dumbfounded Anika. "Is there anyone else qualified to helm the ship manually?"

"Aside from Jonathan, only me," replied Erickson.

Anika grimaced, knowing that Jonathan was still struggling to overcome his trauma from the Battle at the Mars Absolute Defence Line, she had doubts on whether he was ready to face the Gatlanteans again.

* * *

Inside the _Audacious_, the bridge crew were observing the battle between the Fubuki-class frigates and the Gatlantean ships unfolding on the viewscreen. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the _Havant_ and the _Foudroyant_ were putting up a very fierce fight. The frigates took pot-shots at the Gatlantean ships with their shock cannons and spreads of their torpedoes before dodging the incoming return fire from the enemy vessels. As a result of their coordinated attack runs and evasive manoeuvres, the two escort ships were able to destroy three Gatlantean destroyers and one cruiser in the first four minutes. However, their attempts to hold off the intense assault was declining as every hit that was sustained from the enemy vessels damaged their propulsion systems and depleted their wave motion shields considerably.

"Have the away teams returned yet?" asked Fujimoto, turning his attention away from the ongoing space brawl.

"Negative," replied Johanna. "The captain said they'll won't be back until another three minutes!"

"Ugh!" Josiah moaned in frustration. "If only we could get out there and blast those Green-skinned barbarians, this battle would have ended a minute ago!"

Returning his focus back to the battle, Fujimoto watched as three Kukulkan-class destroyers and a Lascaux-class cruiser charged at the _Foudroyant_. The lead Gatlantean destroyer, accelerated ahead firing both rapid-fire impulse cannons and orange quantum torpedoes. The _Foudoyant_ evaded the enemy torpedoes and most of the rapid bursts of green impulse energy beams before unleashing her own salvo of torpedoes and shock cannon volleys at the Gatlantean destroyer. The Kukulkan managed to intercept all the torpedoes with her guns but was shattered into two by the shock cannon beams. As the _Foudoyant_ veered hard to starboard to avoid the wreckage, the other three Gatlantean ships pounced on their prey as has been waiting to see which turn the escort frigate would make. With the port side of the _Foudoyant_ completely exposed, the enemy ships opened fire with all their weapons catching the frigate off-guard. _Foudoyant_'s wave motion shields were overwhelmed by the intense bombardment and quickly collapsed after receiving powerful hits from two quantum torpedoes on her stern, knocking out her engines completely. With _Foudoyant_'s propulsion gone, the frigate slowly drifted to a halt.

"Damn it!" cried Eddie in anger. "_Foudoyant_ is dead in the water!"

Fujimoto bit his lip in fury as he watched the four enemy Gatlantean ships come about and made another attack run on the helpless _Foudoyant_. But just before they could fire their weapons, the _Havant_ swept in from behind the four enemy ships and fired all her forward weapons in a desperate attempt to save her sistership. Three torpedoes blew apart the Lascaux-class cruiser into a massive explosion and a Kukulkan-class destroyer was cut down by precise shots from the shock cannons of the _Havant_. Stunned by the sudden attack from behind, the remaining two Gatlantean destroyers peeled off in separate directions to shake off the angry Fubuki-class frigate off their sterns, sparing the crippled _Foudoyant_ from certain destruction. For moment, at least.

_Hurry Captain Erickson and Commander Lee!_ Thought Fujimoto as he watched the _Havant_ chased after one of the Gatlantean destroyers. _Our escorts can't afford to wait any longer!_

* * *

Near the terminal of Docking Bay 4C, the members of the Alpha away team were running as fast as they could to get back aboard their ship.

"How much further Mr. Geizeler?" asked Jonathan as they went down another hallway.

"Just two hundred more meters," replied Otto. "We should be nearing the departure and arrival hall of the Docking Bay just about- Oh crap! "

Just as before the away team entered the premises of the arrival and departure lounge, three Needleslave mechas appeared from a side corridor, blocking their path.

"Needleslaves! Take cover!" yelled Bunting just before he was gunned down by the Needleslaves' modified laser machine guns.

The remaining four members of the Alpha away team managed to find refuge behind some large fallen pieces of debris and metallic columns and returned fire with their laser sidearms and semi-auto rifles.

_Damn it! We were so close!_ Thought Jonathan as he fired his rifle back at one of the Needleslaves.

"Aim for the heads!" Otto screamed frantically as he took a few shots while ducking constantly to avoid the return fire. "If we take out its AI brain, the whole machine will shut down for good!"

"Got it!" replied Wilson as he took a well aim shot that blew through one Needleslave's scanners which sent the machine falling on its back and eventually powering down.

"Nice shot!" replied Jonathan. "But there're still two left!"

Ducking for cover yet again to avoid another barrage of laser fire from the Gatlantean automated mechas, Jonathan activated his comms to inform the other away party of the blockade.

"Alpha to Beta Team and _Audacious_, we've got a pair of Needleslaves at the docking bay terminal that has us pinned down! Requesting for immediate support!"

As the shootout went on, one of the Needleslaves switched its arms to prime two large rocket launchers and fired a small rocket at Jonathan's position.

_Oh shit!_ Thought Jonathan as tried to flee from his compromised cover.

But before he could clear the zone, the rocket exploded behind him, throwing the deputy captain into the air and slamming him onto a nearby wall. At the moment of impact, a sharp pain went though his entire right arm, causing him to scream in agony.

"Commander Lee!" cried Otto before another rocket struck near the Garmillan forcing him to cower in terror. As the Needleslaves charged forward to press their attack, Wilson tried to defend his senior officer by firing his semi-auto rifle at the Gatlantean battle mechas. However, his effort was in vain as one Needleslave quickly disposed of him with a quick burst of laser fire.

Like a deer caught by the headlights of a car, Jonathan froze in terror as the leading Needleslave approached the terrified XO, its multiple search lights and guns bearing down on him.

_NO! Get away! Get away from me!_ Screamed Jonathan mentally. _This is not how I want to die!_

Jonathan tried to reach for a sidearm that was lying on the floor near his right hand, but winces in pain as his arm was too injured to move. Looking back at the glaring lights of the Needleslave, Jonathan could only watch helplessly as the Gatlantean Mecha aimed its weapons directly at his head.

_Well I guess this is it_, Jonathan thought to himself as he clenched his eyes shut and accepted the inevitable. _Ironic considering that it had to be Gatlantean war machine to end my pathetic life. _

As he awaited the killing blow, a large explosion was suddenly heard followed by sounds of semi-auto gunfire and then two loud metallic crashes. Opening his eyes, Jonathan was surprised to see both Needleslaves in ruins: One completely blown to pieces and the other riddled with bullet holes. Stepping out from the smoke, Captain Erickson armed with a bazooka, surveyed the carnage that lay before him.

"Check for survivors!" Erickson ordered as Anika along with three other members of their away team joined him.

The five split up to look through the carnage, eventually finding Jonathan and Otto, the latter of which had hidden himself behind a pillar.

"Jonathan!" cried Anika as she quickly knelled beside him to check his injuries. "Are you alright?"

Jonathan didn't respond, still in numb in shock from the close death encounter he just experienced moments ago. Anika waved her hand in front of the young XO's helmet, trying to snap him out of his stupor.

"Jonathan? JONATHAN? Talk to me damn it!" she yelled, worried that her friend might actually be mortally wounded.

The deputy captain snapped out of his trance and finally responded in pained and strained voice.

"Huh? Yeah… I think I'm alright…. Aside from what I think is a broken right arm."

"Thank God," Anika sighed in relief. "Can you stand and walk?

"Yeah I think I can, just that I may need a little help righting myself up."

Jonathan uses his left arm to elevate his body temporarily before Anika wraps her own arm on his near the shoulder to pull him up to his feet.

"Thanks..." Jonathan mumbled faintly.

"You're welcome."

Looking towards his captain, Jonathan frowned as he was puzzled at how Erickson got a bazooka launcher. "Wait a minute, Captain where did you get that!?"

"Oh this?" said Erickson, gesturing to his new weapon. "Thought we would need the firepower to take out those Gatlantean mechas, so Anika led to a nearby armory along the way and got this."

"Huh…" muttered Jonathan. "Would have appreciated if you had come sooner, but that was a pretty badass entrance Captain!"

"Thank you," Erickson smiled in return.

Jonathan looked around the ruined lobby, hoping that the others had survived the shootout. But to his dismay he saw Otto, still trying to get his nerves together, as the only visible survivor.

One of the away team members approached Erickson and gave him the grim verdict of the other three members. "It's no good sir, Bunting and his men are gone."

Jonathan lowered his head in remorse upon hearing the loss of his comrades, feeling guilty for being unable to prevent their deaths.

Noticing Jonathan's depressed state, Erickson approached him and offered a few words of comfort. "Don't be too hard on yourself for what happened, Commander. We'll discuss the details of the skirmish later once we're back aboard the _Audacious_."

Jonathan nodded in reply and joined the reunited away team members on boarding the _Audacious_ via the docking tunnel.

But before they could all enter the dimly lit passageway, another explosion struck at the rear of the group, throwing Jonathan, Anika, and Otto off their feet. Looking behind him, Jonathan saw that Erickson was lying on the floor with his suit leaking blood from the holes torn though by the shrapnel, having been the closest to the blast.

"CAPTAIN!" cried Jonathan in horror.

Looking further back behind him, Jonathan glimpsed that the third Needleslave, the one that was only struck by machine gun bullets, was functioning despite being badly damaged. His face switched from shock to unbridled rage as Jonathan furiously glared at the Gatlantean mecha that mortally wounded his captain. Before anyone could react, Jonathan used his left hand to snatch Anika's sidearm away from her, aimed it directly at the Needleslave's head, and fired as many shots his finger could pull on the trigger. The Needleslave staggered back as seven shots hit its AI drone brain directly and fell backward with a satisfying crash of metal.

Jonathan panted in big breaths as his rage subsided and ran over to his badly manged superior. "Captain Erickson! Are you alright?"

Jonathan gasped in horror as he saw that a few pieces of shrapnel had impaled though Erickson's torso and his space suit. Anika and one of the away team members also joined the deputy captain and inspected Erickson's grim wounds. Jonathan looked up to both, hoping that there was a slim chance to save Erickson's life. Anika looked back at Jonathan with a somber look on her face and shook her head. Even if they could bring him to the medical bay aboard the _Audacious_, there was no way the doctors could save the captain as his wounds were fatal.

"Commander Lee…" rasped Erickson as he coughed out blood onto his helmet's transparent visor.

"I'm here sir," replied Jonathan.

"Is everyone else… alright?"

"Yes Captain," sniffed Jonathan, trying not to break in tears. "The rest of us are fine."

Erickson gasped in pain as he tried to speak back to his XO. "Take command… Get us back …. With… the rest… of our allied fleet… For a counterattack."

Jonathan stopped, realizing that once Erickson was gone, he would be the captain of the _Audacious_. "But sir…I cannot-"

"You'll do fine Commander," assured Erickson. "I have faith… That you'll carry out your duties… Good luck… Captain…Be… safe…"

Erickson inhaled one last breath and fell limp, leaving behind a distraught deputy commander. For the first time since the Battle of Mars Defense Line, Jonathan was once again the acting captain of his ship.

* * *

A/N: _Well, I bet you didn't see that coming did you?  
Whether or not the Gatlanteans have truly return, I cannot confirm or deny it just yet! ;) _  
_Originally I had intended for the two Fubuki-class frigates to be destroyed quickly in the skirmish with the Gatlantean vessels but later changed my mind as their specs shouldn't allow them to be defeated so easily by Comet Empire escort type vessels, especially since they had shields plus they were stated to be highly maneuverable.  
The escort frigates' role during the Battle of Saturn in Yamato 2202 wasn't really a great showcase of their full combat abilities due to the gravity interference from Saturn (Or so the translated sources claim from the Mecha Guide of 2202 in OurStarBlazers' website), so I decided in this chapter to give them a chance to shine and prove what they were capable of._

_Till then, I hope you enjoy this chapter and await the next one!_


	9. Facing Thy Green Nightmare

**Chapter 9 - Facing Thy Green Nightmare**

Walking back onto the bridge of the _Audacious_, Jonathan and Anika found Fujimoto and Eddie frowning at their arrival, having been waiting impatiently for their superiors to return. However, their angry glares melted away as they noticed the visibly despondent faces of both their deputy officer and the young Zalti lady.

"Where's the Captain?" asked Eddie, noticing Erickson's absence.

Anika looked down, sniffing in grief, while Jonathan's face hardens with restrained rage.

"Dead," Jonathan replied, gritting his teeth in fury. "The Needleslaves got him. I'm sorry."

The bridge members were stunned by the news. Johanna started to tear up, Josiah sank into his chair in shock and Eddie simply lowered his head in sorrow at his captain's passing. Fujimoto on the other hand was fuming, wondering whether Jonathan or Anika's actions inside the Garmillan Starbase had contributed to the captain's demise.

"We'll debrief the details about what happened later," said Jonathan in grim but determined tone, as he moved towards the helm and navigation console. "What's the situation out there?"

"We just lost the _Foudoyant_ two minutes ago," replied Eddie slowly, still reeling from the news. "The _Havant_, though badly damaged, is still putting up fight and has managed to reduce the enemy fleet to just ten escort-type ships."

"Wea…" Josiah stuttered. "All weapons… Have been online since the battle started."

"The main and auxiliary engines have been powered up since then too. Just waiting for a certain someone to take her out," added Fujimoto as he glared at Jonathan.

"Very well, let's join the _Havant_ and blow those green bastards to kingdom come," snarled Jonathan.

But just as he tried moving his right arm on the navigation console, Jonathan flinched in excruciating pain. "Ugh! Damn it!"

"Commander Lee! You're too injured to helm the vessel!" cried Anika. "You should have gone straight to sickbay."

"No I need to get the ship moving," insisted Jonathan though clenched teeth. "The _Audacious_' autopilot isn't reliable for her to move on her own during combat!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" muttered Fujimoto. "The only people qualified to helm this vessel are either dead or too injured to steer! Should have fixed the damn autopilot myself right before we left the Solar System had I known we were going into battle!"

Jonathan tried to use his left hand to see whether he could helm the ship with it. But knowing that he was right-handed and some of the controls required both hands to work, Jonathan knew that he couldn't pilot the _Audacious_ properly in his condition.

_Wait a minute_, Jonathan thought. _There is somebody else who can still pilot the ship!_

"Lt. Cmdr. Welmer," asked Jonathan, turning his attention to the Zalti young officer. "Do you still remember when you piloted the _Indefatigable_ temporary back in the Gatlantean War?"

"You mean during those lend-lease joint missions? Yeah, I do, that Kongo was a bit sluggish with its controls, but she had acceptable handling traits."

Fujimoto frowned in disapproval, realizing what Jonathan was implying. "Commander Lee, I must protest! You aren't suggesting that a 'Gami' officer is going to-"

"Yes, I am!" Jonathan shot back. "I don't care whether she is from a different planetary nation, but Miss Welmer is one of the best helmsmen in the Garmillan Navy and our only and best shot in getting this ship underway! You can file your protest later once we're clear of this mess!"

"Aye sir," replied Fujimoto reluctantly.

As Jonathan stepped out of his seat to let Anika take his place, the Zalti officer voiced her concerns on her impromptu role. "Are you sure about this? Letting me take control over the helm?"

"We don't have much of a choice," replied Jonathan as he used his left hand's fingers to customize some control settings on the helm interface. "But I trust that you'll be able to get us out of this one. There, it's done. You should be able to use it now."

Anika sat in her new seat and quickly started to familiarize herself with the new helm interface and controls. Though they were clearly more modern and newer in contrast to the ones seen on the older UNCF ships, the layout and functionality was pretty much identical.

"You do know what you're doing right?" asked Fujimoto skeptically as he observed Anika fiddling with the controls.

"More or less," she replied as she concentrated. "Where's the gantry lock release? Uh… There it is! Mooring retracted, activating starboard thrusters..."

While Anika was figuring out how to use the helm and navigation console, Jonathan walked over to the captain's chair and gazed at it with remorseful eyes.

In another time, he would have accepted being the captain of an Andromeda-class battleship whole heartily. But right now, Jonathan didn't want it. Especially under these circumstances.

As unworthy Jonathan saw of himself, he knew that he had to accept it. Erickson trusted him to get his crew and ship to safety and Jonathan wasn't going to let his fallen captain down.

Taking his place on the captain's chair, Jonathan took a deep breath, and issued his first orders as the new commanding officer of the _Audacious_. "Miss Welmer take us out! Ahead full! Set an intercept course for the enemy Gatlantean fleet!"

"Aye sir!" replied Anika as she pushed the accelerating lever forward, propelling the Andromeda-class battleship out of the dock like missile out of its launcher.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Anika as she flexed with the helm controls and was pleasantly surprised at how responsive and quick the _Audacious_' handling was.

"This is amazing!" cried the Zalti as she brought the Andromeda about to face the Gatlantean ships. "I've never driven a ship of this size with such fine-tuned agility before! She handles exactly like a Meltoria on steroids!"

Jonathan smiled in amusement at Anika's remarks, having predicted correctly that she would enjoy the _Audacious_' High Manoeuvrability Vector System (HMVS). It was a specialized high-performance propulsion system developed for the BBB automated ships and the _Andromeda_'s refit which gave them unprecedented agility unheard of on large capital ships. Jonathan had tweaked it to be at half-power to reduce the effects of negative Gs on the crew. But even so, with Anika at the helm, the _Audacious_ would be able outmatch her opponents in both firepower and agility.

"Ensign Gibson," ordered Jonathan. "Tell the _Havant_ to hold on a little longer. We're on their way to assist them!"

"Yes Captain!" replied Johanna as she went to work.

"Lieutenant Anton and Engineer Fujimoto," said Jonathan, turning his attention to his weapons officer and chief engineer. "Engage the wave motion shield and lock weapons on the Gatlantean ships targeting the _Havant_! We need to draw their attention away from the frigate!"

"Aye captain," replied Josiah and Fujimoto.

As Josiah armed the shock cannons and plotted firing solutions on the enemy vessels, a smug grin formed on his face. "This is going to be a turkey shoot! We completely outclass those escort ships thirty to one!"

_Indeed_ thought Jonathan as he was thinking about the odds between his ship and the remaining Gatlantean escort vessels. _With all our firepower, agility, and durability under one battleship, we should be able to make quick work of those green barbarians in no time! We might be able to pull this one off after all!_

"Sir, two new contacts warping out at 11'o clock!" cried Eddie from the radar console. "Distance, 0.2 light seconds! They're big ones!"

"Put it on the main display!" ordered Jonathan.

Looking up at the main viewscreen, two distinctive olive-green large battleships emerged from their jagged shaped warp-outs. With several fin-like structures mounted in different sections of their hulls and tall pagoda-like superstructures that was stacked with turrets, it was easy to identify the newcomers.

"New hostiles have been identified as Calaklum-class battleships!" reported Eddie, who tried his best not to break in a cold sweat.

"C-C-alaklums!?" Jonathan stammered; his renewed confidence shattered. "Lieutenant Anton, switch target to the Gatlantean battleships! Fire at them before they sink the _Havant_!"

But before Josiah could lock on two the new arrivals, the two Calaklums quickly outflanked the _Havant_ from both sides and fired their deadly broadsides of heavy impulse cannons. The Fubuki-class frigate tried to escape the murderous crossfire, but was immediately overwhelmed as her shields failed, resulting in the brave frigate's hull being impaled by multiple green beams and blew up in a huge explosion.

"The _Havant_'s gone," said Eddie quietly as he watched the fireball dissipated, leaving behind the charred remains of the brave frigate.

"We were too late! Damn it!" cursed Josiah as he bashed his fist on his console, before activating the shock cannons to open fire. "You'll pay for this Gatlantean scum!"

The _Audacious_ began lashing out her forward two shock cannon turrets at the two Calaklums, with one battleship aimed per turret. The blue energy beams ripped off several layers of the Gatlantean battleships' bow armor, but the damage that was inflicted was moderate. In response, the two battleships let loose their heavy impulse cannon batteries at the Andromeda from both sides. Anika instinctively evaded several of their shots by doing half-barrel rolls from port to starboard.

"Captain," cried Eddie from the radar console. "Two squadrons of Gatlantean cruisers and destroyers are coming for an attack run from both the starboard and port side! Orders Captain? Captain? Captain!?"

Jonathan didn't respond, as he was paralyzed by sight of the Calaklums and unable to heed to Eddie's frantic calls.

Seeing that his captain was unable to give commands, Josiah took the initiative to take control of the battle. "Screw this! Switching targets from leading enemy battleships to the escort ships coming in from starboard and to port!

The four triple 406mm compressed shock cannon turrets of the Andromeda-class battleship rotated individually on their own to aim at incoming attacking ships from both sides.

"Targets acquired," reported Josiah as the fire control system gain multiple locks on the enemy ships just as they began pounding the _Audacious_ with their rapid-fire turrets. "Firing all shock canons and side missile batteries at will!"

At Josiah's command, the _Audacious_ unleashed a furious widespread barrage of shock cannons, tearing up two cruisers and three destroyers within seconds. Some that had avoided the powerful volleys of the Andromeda's powerful cannons were struck by missiles that were launched from the starboard and port launchers of the battleship. The rest who survived broke off their attacks, but not before they unleashed a dozen quantum torpedoes at the _Audacious_.

Anika dove the Andromeda down to the starboard side and avoided all but three torpedoes that impacted near the aft section of the battleship. But thanks to the wave motion shields, the damage inflicted was not severe.

As the bridge rumbled violently from the impacts of the torpedoes, Jonathan snapped out of his daze and was brought back to reality.

"Enemy Calaklum is right ahead of us!" cried Eddie. "She's trying to cut us off!"

Jonathan looked up on the main viewscreen and sure enough, the large enemy dreadnought had crossed the T of the _Audacious_ and brought all her guns to bear on the lone Andromeda.

"Fujimoto!" yelled Jonathan to his chief engineer. "Concentrate the wave motion shield to the bow!"

"Yes sir!" replied Fujimoto, just as the enemy battleship begun to fire broadsides of green energy beams at the _Audacious_.

In the nick of time, the wave motion shield was reinforced forward and was able to withstand most of the impulse cannons' volleys fired from the Calaklum.

"Wave motion shield is at seventy-six percent and dropping," reported Fujimoto.

"Captain, should we turn to starboard to bring all our guns to bear on the enemy battleship?" asked Josiah.

"And show off a bigger target for the Calaklum to shoot at?" replied Jonathan. "Heck no! Keep our bow pointed at that battleship! Prep forward tubes one though eight, target their weapon emplacements! In the meantime, concentrate our forward shock cannons at their stern."

"At their stern?" Josiah was puzzled by his acting captain's request.

"Just do it!"

"Okay…"

_On paper, an Andromeda-class battleship should be able to overpower a Calaklum in a one to one fight_, Jonathan thought as he went through the stats of both battleship classes in his mind. _However, we don't have the time or luxury to destroy both enemy battleships. The best chance would be to discourage them from pursuing us by damaging them badly or cripple their engines, fighting them one at a time_.

"Torpedoes are armed and ready sir," informed Josiah.

"Fire!" barked Jonathan.

At once, the eight torpedoes launched out of their tubes, located above and below the rear edge of the _Audacious_' wings, and raced towards the Calaklum's midsection. In response, the Gatlantean battleship's guns shifted their focus from the _Audacious_ and tried to intercept the incoming torpedoes, shooting down five in the process. The other torpedoes that got through slammed onto the hull of the Calaklum, causing moderate damage. With the Gatlantean battleship temporary preoccupied, the _Audacious_ began firing her forward shock cannons in quick succession at the aft section of her opponent. Salvo after salvo tore chunks of armor and green metal of the protective cowling around the engineering section of the Calaklum. In a dozen seconds, multiple explosions rocked the stern of the battleship, causing it to lose power and drift helplessly in space.

"Enemy Calaklum disabled!" stated Eddie from his radar console.

Jonathan sighed in relief, pleased that his gamble paid off so far. Turning his attention to Anika at the helm, he issued a new set of orders for her "Bring us about and set an intercept course for the second Calaklum. Once we cripple it too, we'll do an emergency warp jump out of here. I'll leave the destination up to you."

"Right away Commander!" replied Anika, turning the vessel hard to port and passing by the crippled Calaklum.

"We're leaving that Gatlantean battleship alone?" asked a confused Josiah. "Why not finish it when we have the chance?"

"Lieutenant Anton, we can't afford to have a prolonged fight with the enemy ships," replied Jonathan. "Our objective right now is to survive so we can inform the higher ups from Garmillas and Earth what has happened. I don't want to take too much damage to the point we're unable to warp us out of here."

"Captain," exclaimed Eddie. "Spatial wave motion echoes detected! Bearing 23 degrees to starboard!"

_Spatial wave motion echoes!? It can't be…_ Jonathan's face widens in alarm, recognizing that energy signature and what was to come next.

Turning to helm he quickly shouted an order. "Anika! TAKE EVASIVE ACTION!"

"I just did!" yelled Anika, who had also come to the same conclusion as Jonathan.

The _Audacious_ veered hard to port just as a blue spiral of energy appeared and erupted a massive burst of plasma energy from its core, narrowly missing the Andromeda-class battleship. The giant flaming stream of energy continued to fly on before impacting the center of Garmillan Starbase 239. The battered space station immediately broke apart as massive explosions ripped though the entire structure of the massive space facility, destroying it completely.

The _Audacious_' bridge vibrated from the shockwaves as everybody shielded their eyes from the bright glare of the explosions that destroyed the once beautiful space city. When the light faded away, all that remained of Garmillan Starbase 239 was a massive debris field. A pregnant pause filled the room, as the bridge crew took the sheer weight of seeing the starbase's destruction.

"Was… was that a…" stammered Josiah.

"Yeah, a Firestorm Direct Strike Cannon," Jonathan confirmed grimly. "From a Medalusa-class heavy battleship."

"That shot wasn't even directly aimed at us," reported Eddie as he analysed the entry coordinates of the Gatlantean superweapon. "It was intended to hit the station from the start as it struck the exact center of Garmillan Starbase 239. They just simply placed us in the firing line."

"Eddie, can you detect the Medalusa with your radar?" asked Jonathan.

"Negative," Eddie shook his head. "It's not even within the limits of my detection range. They must have fired way beyond our detection zone by using their allied ships here as a spotter for their weapon."

Suddenly, the _Audacious_ was rocked by a series of hits which caught the bridge crew off guard. The second Calaklum-class battleship had taken the opportunity to get into firing range and attack the Andromeda-class battleship.

"Wave motion shields down to sixty percent!" cried Fujimoto. "Hull plating on the ventral portside is starting to buckle!"

"Return fire!" barked Jonathan. "Anika set an intercept course for the Calaklum! Fly in an erratic manner so the Medalusa can't lock her Firestorm Strike Cannon at us!"

"Yes sir!"

The _Audacious_ began to jink and weave though the spread of impulse energy beams from left to right. However, the constant movement of the large Cosmo Navy battleship also made it difficult for the _Audacious_ to fire her guns and accurately hit her opponent.

"What's going on Lieutenant Anton?" asked Jonathan. "Your shots are going way off target!"

"Sorry but your friend's fancy flying is making it difficult!" protested Josiah, as he struggled to get an accurate fix on the enemy battleship.

"My bad," replied Anika. "Do you want me to fly straight for a few seconds so you can aim and fire your guns accurately?"

"I guess you can try," said Josiah. "If you do it in a five second pattern, I think it may work."

"Ok then! I'll give you your opening to fire... Hang on... And now!"

The _Audacious_ ceased her erratic maneuvering and flew in a straight-line allowing Josiah to fire two quick salvos with the forward shock cannons, before evading the return fire from the enemy battleship. The pattern worked as Josiah was able to get more hits on the Calaklum and was soon taking more damage than it was able to inflict back at the nimble Andromeda.

But as the _Audacious_ flew in closer to the enemy battleship, the battered Calaklum turned to face her head on and charged towards the Cosmo Navy vessel.

"Uh oh," said Eddie. "Is it just me or is that Calaklum intending to ram us!?"

Jonathan's face paled, recalling reports of Gatlantean ships ramming their opponents out of desperation. He also specifically remembered that shortly after the Battle of the 8th Floating Continent, a damaged super-sized Calaklum pursued two Murasame-class light cruisers all the way to Earth and destroyed them both after ramming them. There was no way he was going to let that happen again.

"Take evasive action!" cried Jonathan. "Abort the attack run!"

Despite Jonathan's orders, Anika still maintained a straight flight path towards the charging Calaklum.

"Anika what are you doing!?" cried Jonathan. "I said turn away from the Calaklum! Not rush towards it!"

"Negative!" replied Anika. "If we turn, our entire side will just be exposed for the Gatlantean battleship to ram! We're going to blow past it at the last seconds by playing what you Terrans call pigeon!"

"It's _chicken_ damn it! Not pigeon!" protested Jonathan. "Fine, just don't flinch a moment too late!"

Anika as continued flying the _Audacious_ towards the charging Calaklum, she informed Fujimoto of the next stage of her plan. "Fujimoto, I am going perform a warp jump once we clear the enemy ship. Could you divert power from the shields to the engines please?"

Fujimoto looked to Jonathan for approval, the latter who gave an affirmative nod. Sighing, Fujimoto disabled the shields and began powering up the flywheel motors of the wave motion engine to maximum RPM. With the shields dissipating, the _Audacious_ began to take hits to her bow but the armor was able to tank most of the damage.

"Josiah," added Jonathan. "Once we get to close quarters with the Calaklum, fire at their bridge on my command."

"Yes sir!" answered Josiah as he trained both forward turrets at his new target.

"Ten seconds to collision!" reported Eddie, sweating with anxiety. "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four-

"Now!" bellowed Jonathan.

The _Audacious_' forward turrets fired in unison and struck home onto the enemy battleship's bridge, completely blowing it into smithereens.

Just before both ships could collide, Anika yanked the _Audacious_ hard to port, barely avoiding scratching the Calaklum's starboard side. Before _Audacious_ passed the burning Gatlantean vessel, her six starboard lateral beam secondary cannons, located at the base of the superstructure, fired several shots into the enemy ship's port side just as multiple explosions began to erupt all over Calaklum's hull, signalling the enemy ship's demise.

"We're clear!" cried Anika. "Warping in three, two, one!"

The _Audacious_' engines fired up to full power and warped out of the combat zone just as the doomed Calaklum spiraled out of control and then disintegrated into a massive fireball.

* * *

After the jump, the _Audacious_ warped out right above a massive asteroid field. Her front bow and port side were marked with scorches from the skirmish with the Gatlantean warships.

Inside the bridge, everyone was catching back their breath as they were relieved that they somehow escaped the battle in one piece.

"Warp completed." sighed Anika, leaning back on her chair to rest.

"Thank God," said Jonathan as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "All departments, I want a full damage report and system diagnosis."

"Yes sir," replied the bridge crew.

"Ms. Welmer," Jonathan turned his attention to his impromptu helmsman. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're at the Levia Asteroid Belt," replied Anika. "It's about twenty light-years from Garmillan Starbase 239. If we take refuge in one of the big asteroids, it should buy us some time to make repairs and hide us from any potential pursuers."

"Very well, take us in and find us a suitable asteroid to anchor the ship to," instructed Jonathan. "In the meantime, Fujimoto, you take conn for now. I am going down to sickbay to have my arm treated."

"Yes Captain," replied Fujimoto.

As Jonathan stood up from his chair, he addressed the bridge crew with a few more orders. "Once we find a secure location for repairs, I want you all to give me a debriefing on the status of our n the ready room at 1700 hours. Is that understood?"

"Aye sir,"

Jonathan nodded in approval before walking out of the bridge and entering the elevator.

As the doors closed and the elevator car descended, his professional and stoic expression broke into one of shame and guilt. Exiting the elevator, Jonathan limped down the corridor with his head hung low.

Wandering for several minutes, Jonathan found himself in front of his own room instead of the medic bay. Despite needing medical attention, Jonathan couldn't bring himself to go there.

The doors of his room slid open, inviting the despondent acting captain to enter. Jonathan complied and stepped inside the darkly lit room. The second the door slid shut, the overwhelmed acting captain finally broke down, letting out all his anguished and frustrated emotions he had contained within himself throughout the battle. Turning his attention to the right, Jonathan glimpsed on a poster stuck to his wall. It was a ship recognition chart, which had all the profiles of all the known ships of the three major interstellar powers and was used to help UNCF personnel recognized the types and classes of ships in the galaxy. Jonathan's eyes burned with fury as he found the Calaklum's silhouette in the Gatlantean fleet category. He slammed his left fist at it and pounded it a few more times in frustration and anger as if he were trying to destroy the enemy battleship that seemed to sneer at his failure. With minimum damage done to the Gatlantean ship on the poster and his fist sore, Jonathan slumped into his chair and sighed in defeat.

_Another captain lost,_ Jonathan thought wistfully to himself. Although he wasn't particularly close with Erickson, he found him to be an honest and dependable mentor figure to rely on and consult his thoughts with. The worse part was that he knew that he had to eventually write an obituary for Erickson and inform his family of his passing. Jonathan grimaced, he could already imagine the heartbroken reactions of Erickson's wife and his children. He hated that despairing sight, just like back then when… when…

Jonathan shook his head, trying to push that scarring memory off his mind. Wiping the tears off his face, Jonathan reflected on the recent events which led to Erickson's death.

Truthfully, he knew that there was no way that his own rescue party could have done anything against the Needleslaves. They were outgunned and outmatched, and it was only though Erickson's 'borrowed' bazooka that they were able to make quick work of the Gatlantean automations. Or so they thought.

_We were careless_, Jonathan thought bitterly. _If we had checked more closely to see that all the Needleslaves were down for good, Captain Erickson wouldn't have died a senseless death_.

Pushing aside thoughts regarding Erickson's death, Jonathan realized that he couldn't waste precious time moping about. Not when the Gatlanteans or whatever attacked them earlier this morning was still on the loose. Erickson had trusted him to take command of the _Audacious_ and he wasn't going to let his last wishes go unfulfilled. If he was going to be the captain, Jonathan had to get his act together, especially if the entire crew now looked up to him as the ship's new commanding officer. Mourning for the dead would have to wait. Standing up from his chair, Jonathan walked towards the door and pressed the button to open. But just as the door slid open, he found himself staring face to face with Anika and Kaito, who were just standing right at his doorstep.

"Ahhh!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Kyaah!" Anika also let out a yelp and jumped back, bumping into Kaito from behind right onto his face.

"Ow! My nose!" cried Kaito.

"Sorry!"

"Wh-what are you doing right outside my room!?" stammered a bewildered and annoyed Jonathan. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?"

"Of course not!" pouted Anika. "I was just about to knock on your door and you just came out of the sudden and scared the living wits out of me!"

"Well you should have come sooner instead of scaring me right before I left my room!" retorted Jonathan before turning his attention to the fighter squadron leader. "And what about you Lieutenant Asuka? Shouldn't you be in the fighter pilot dorms or the main hangar?"

"Sorry Commander," apologized Kaito, as he rubbed his sore nose with his hand. "I was just leading Miss Welmer to your quarters after you were declared missing from the medical bay since you never arrived. She was quite concerned about you and thought she would find you here."

"Concerned?" Jonathan looked at Anika who blushed slightly at him but still had an anxious look on her face.

"Well after what you been through recently," Anika said in a soft tone. "I thought I would drop by to see if you're alright."

Jonathan sighed, knowing that Anika would obviously be worried about his well-being. But right now, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Thank you Lieutenant Asuka, I'll take it from here," said Jonathan. "Meet me later at the ready room at 1700 hours for a debrief."

"Right away sir," mumbled Kaito as he saluted with his right hand, while the left was still pressing firmly on his bruised nose.

"I appreciate the thought Anika, but I'm fine," replied Jonathan as Kaito left the two officers, trying to brush her inquires off. "I was just about to go to the medical bay."

The young acting captain stepped out and walked briskly down the hallway with Anika following him.

"By the way, have you anchored and concealed the _Audacious_ in a safe area?" asked Jonathan, hoping to change the subject.

"Yes, I hid the ship inside a hollow asteroid," replied Anika. "We should be invisible from enemy radar and sensor sweeps unless someone comes right inside it."

"Good," Jonathan nodded quickly. "This should give us some time to make some quick damage assessments and let the crew finally take a breath. I gotta say, even though most of the crew is still new, they were still able to perform their duties well despite being suddenly tossed into a shooting war."

"How about you?" asked Anika from behind. "You looked really shell-shocked when we got back in fighting those Gatlanteans. Are you sure you're fine?"

"It's nothing," insisted Jonathan. "Just a bit rattled from that near-death experience with those Needleslaves. That's all."

"Are you sure?" said Anika doubtfully. "The way you reacted when you saw those Calaklums during the battle suggests otherwise."

Jonathan stopped in his tracks and gritted his teeth in fury. Ashamed that the mere sight of seeing those Gatlantean dreadnoughts was enough to paralyze him in the crucial point of the battle. If it wasn't for Lieutenant Anton's quick thinking and taking charge during that moment, the _Audacious_ might have been badly damaged. As much as he didn't exactly like the hotshot gunner's attitude, he had to give him credit for taking the initiative during the battle. However, it also highlighted his own incompetence to handle his panic attack and he couldn't admit that to Anika of all people that he screwed up.

"What do you expect!?" replied Jonathan angrily as he tried to find an excuse to defend his actions. "Everyone was shocked that those Gatlantean battleships returned. Of course, I would be in a state of shock like the others. Just took it longer to… Snap out of it."

"That's not what Lieutenant Anton and Midshipman Eddie told me," replied Anika with a frown. "Both of them saw your face as white as sheet as if you saw a ghost while they were calling for your attention."

"Damn it…" cursed Jonathan quietly. "Damn those green Gatlantean bastards… Ugh!"

Jonathan turned to the Zalti girl in restrained rage. "Look, do you expect me to be perfectly fine after what happened in the Garmillan station!? First, we ran into those damn Gatlanteans who were supposed to be extinct. Later their Needleslave mecha units killed most of my away party and Captain Erickson, the latter of which whose death could have been prevented if it hadn't been for my carelessness!"

Anika flinched and took a step back as she wasn't expecting Jonathan to snap. Though she could understand Jonathan's anger at himself, she knew that Erickson's death was not his fault.

"But Jonathan, you yourself were injured and couldn't have noticed the last Needleslave scrambling back to its feet. Besides, the Captain and others were also preoccupied on making sure you and Otto were okay. All the surviving members of both away teams were equally at fault, even me."

"Even so, it was my duty to make sure my captain got back safely as his deputy officer," Jonathan retorted bitterly. "Erickson was right, I wasn't ready to return back into combat as I still struggle with a few panic attacks. If I couldn't even keep my captain safe, what chance do I have the rest of the crew?"

Jonathan sighed sadly. "I'm not worthy to lead them as captain. I don't want to repeat what happened on the _Dover_."

Anika paused and thought about what Jonathan had said. She knew that Jonathan was struggling to handle his PTSD but didn't realize it was worse than she expected. But even if Jonathan's ability to take command in battle was compromised, he wasn't directly involved in his captain's passing. From an objective point of view, the entire team failed as a whole on their situational awareness to notice that not all the Needleslaves were damaged beyond repair. For him to blame himself entirely for Erickson's death was simply too harsh. As Anika continued to think through the circumstances of the _Audacious_' CO's demise, she realized something that she had forgotten until now: She had made the same mistake that Jonathan has placed on himself, the time when she was preoccupied during the battle against the mysterious mobile space fortress. But unlike Jonathan, the consequences of her blunder were far worse.

"And what about me?" asked Anika in a serious tone. "I lost two-thirds of my crew due to a piloting error on my part. Does that make me a failure as well?"

"You're twice the officer that I am Anika," Jonathan mumbled. "At least you managed to save a third of your crew and evacuate them with a risky but brilliant escape plan. While I on the other hand-"

"Still have your crew and your ship, both of which are still capable of carrying on the fight," interrupted Anika, as she started to well up in frustration herself. "I don't have that luxury! With the loss of both my ship and the majority of the senior officers, I'll probably be side-lined for a board of inquiry regarding on the role I played in their demise and being mauled by those Garmillan pure-blooded purists…" Anika trailed off and trembled in both fear and regret.

Jonathan was taken back by Anika's sudden emotional outburst and realized that his friend was in a situation that was just as bad or worse than he was in now. He remembered that Anika's career was on the line as most Zalti enlisted personnel were often given harsh or unjust reprimands compared to the regular pure blooded Garmillans, regardless of how loyal or effective they were in their duties.

"I'm sorry," said Jonathan quietly. "You're right, I'm probably being too hard on myself for what happened."

"Exactly," said Anika, wiping a tear off her eyelids.

A long silence came between the two as both officers reflected on both their current situations.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Anika quietly. "With morale this low, how do we encourage our crews to press on?"

Jonathan thought about Anika's words long and hard, wondering how to both raise spirits among both crews and confidence. "We'll give them something to rally on. Something to motivate the crew to get back in fighting shape. We're not just going to get reinforcements and be dismissed. We're going to stay for the counterattack and avenge our losses."

"But what if top brass refuse to let us continue participating this new war?" asked Anika.

"Then we'll have to convince them," replied Jonathan with a determined look on his face. "If the ship isn't that badly damaged, we can still contribute to whatever mission we're assigned too as we're in one of the most powerful and versatile battleships in both the Earth and Garmillan fleets. The _Audacious_' crew may be inexperienced, but we can easily gear them up into an effective fighting unit. Especially since they performed quite admirably in our first two battles despite being defeats. We'll make ourselves invaluable enough so top brass can't afford to dismissed or demote us so casually! Have our accomplishments outweigh our losses!"

Jonathan triumphantly raised his right hand and instantly cringes in pain for stretching it too much.

"Yeowh!" screamed Jonathan.

"Perhaps you should go to the medical bay first," Anika chuckled. "But honestly, I like that idea of yours. That's sounds more like you."

"Yeah, I really should get a move on," Jonathan laughed at his own misfortune as both officers walked off feeling a bit more encouraged and determined. "Once we're done there, we've got some serious planning to do if we're going to make a comeback."

* * *

_A/N_: _Damn was this chapter quite hard to write, especially in the second half as I always struggle with the scenes involving character moments. Had to rewrite it like five times and scraped several scenes just to get it just right and making sure it flows naturally.  
As for the battle, I always wanted to see an Andromeda-class battleship fight against a Calaklum on a one to one duel rather than the over the top massive fleet battles in Yamato 2202 with endless Gatlantean and Earth battleships trading blows with one another to the point you can't keep track or identify an individual ship's progress or contribution to the battle. Sure the _Andromeda _in her refit form did blitzkrieg several Gatlantean fleets in her final battle to save the _Yamato_, but it was all against escort cruisers and destroyers.  
Theoretically, a standard-sized Calaklum (not the super-sized one that appeared in episode 1 of 2202) shouldn't really be strong as a Garmillas Zoelguut-class super dreadnought as it doesn't posses the same level of armor protection or firepower due to its smaller size. So the _Yamato _or any Andromeda-class battleship should be able to defeat one on even terms._

_Also for some real-world news, Yamato 2205 has officially been confirmed as a fully-fledged remake of the Dark Nebula Empire arc from a New Voyage. This has kind of started me as I thought there wasn't supposed to be any more remakes for the Yamato 2199/2202 universe, which really put me into a tough situation as I admit this story is based and takes several elements from that said arc although it has a ton of other materials which makes it not a complete retelling of the story arc and the fact it takes place on a different ship.  
Despite the fact I want to still stay in canon with the events of the first two Yamato remake series, after careful and long consideration I decided the story will still be mostly written as I had planned prior to this unexpected news. So while the story may diverge away from the upcoming canon of 2205, it will be for the sake of staying true to the vision I have for this project.  
Till then, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and look forward for the next one. _


	10. Picking the Pieces Up

**Chapter 10 - Picking the Pieces Up**

At 1700 hours, the senior staff of the _Audacious_, along with the surviving Garmillan officers, met up in the wardroom to discuss the details of the recent fiasco at Garmillan Starbase 239. Present among the meeting included Fujimoto, Eddie, Josiah, Kaito, Anika, Otto, and Jonathan. The last of which had his right arm bandaged in a sling cast. The atmosphere in the room was dark and grim, as the absence of Captain Erickson weighed heavily on everyone's minds.

"Alright Fujimoto, what's the state of the ship?" asked Jonathan quietly.

"We've sustained significant damage on our forward bow, mostly from hits that the second Calaklum inflicted on us," reported Fujimoto. "Our portside also took some damage but it's minor. However, the aft section where the armor cowling on the port dorsal auxiliary engine has been dented. Presumably from the impact of the quantum torpedoes that we were hit earlier in the battle."

"Are the engines damaged?"

"Fortunately no, both the primary and all four secondary engines are running normally," replied Fujimoto.

"That's a relief," the acting captain nodded to himself. "At least we can still maneuver and run if we need too. Anything else?

Seconds passed with nobody answering, as they were too disheartened to give a reply.

"Well…" said Josiah, who finally broke the long silence. "Those hits on the bow incapacitated two of our graviton launchers, and our forward lateral beam cannons are completely gone."

"Thankfully, the dimensional sonar mounted inside the nose cone is still intact and functioning normally," added Eddie. "However, we've got a major problem with one particular fire-control system."

"Which one?" asked Jonathan, turning to the radar officer in concern.

Eddie gulped, worried that his answer may put his commanding officer into a panic. But before he could reply, Josiah bluntly answered for him.

"It's the fire control system for the wave motion gun. Since they were mounted near the bow, they got hit during that attack run on the last Calaklum when we lowered the shields."

Eddie clenched his jaw, wondering how Jonathan would react upon learning that their primary offensive weapon was down. To his surprise, the acting captain only frowned slightly before asking him regarding the state of their WMG fire control system in rather calm manner.

"Is it repairable?"

"Erm… yes," answered Eddie. "But it will take a while as we need to replace some of the circuits and rewire the entire targeting software from scratch."

"I see," muttered Jonathan as he tapped his fingers on the table while in thought.

"Er guys," inquired a nervous Otto. "Is anyone going to discuss the real big issue here? Like how in Iscandar's name are the Gatlanteans back!?"

"I agree!" added an equally petrified Josiah. "Didn't the reports from the _Yamato_ specifically state that once the Golem device is damaged or destroyed, all the Gatlanteans would be terminated?"

"It's probably not the Gatlanteans who are controlling those ships," replied Eddie with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I've read reports that the Gatlanteans that were held in prison planets all died at once around the time when the Golem purge was activated. It's possible that pirates or rebels could have taken the abandoned Gatlantean ships and used them for their own goals. Their fleets were quite vast and spread out across the galaxy. I wouldn't be surprised if some derelict vessels fell into their-."

"No," replied Jonathan with grim certainty. "It was definitely them!"

"But Commander Lee, it couldn't be the Gatlanteans!" argued Otto. "The autopsy reports from Garmillas High Command confirmed it after thorough examinations of all the recovered bodies. They were all terminated via telepathy which means there was simply no escape from the Golem's self-destruct broadcast."

"Perhaps, but if you had paid attention to the enemy ships, you would have recognized that their tactics and movements were exactly the same as those that we fought years ago," insisted Jonathan. "The massacre of military personnel and civilians inside Garmillan Starbase 239 is definitely reminiscent of the Gatlanteans' genocidal raids. Do you honestly think that Garmillan rebel factions or pirates would stoop down to such brutal and barbaric tactics? Especially on this scale?"

Seconds ticked by as Otto contemplated what Jonathan said. While there have been a few cases of merciless pirates and a few rebel factions that went to extreme measures to promote their respective agendas, similar to that of the defeated Destructive Liberation Army, none of them had the ships or assets to stage such a massive attack on a heavily fortified and guarded space station.

"No… But I still don't think its them. The needleslaves we encountered were different as they weren't armed with the typical spear launchers."

"That might be true, but the Gatlanteans are known to modify their weapons and vessels to suit different purposes," Jonathan reminded. "The black AI Gostok-class ships in the final battle and those hideous Medulusa-class land battleships for example?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," replied Otto. "But still, I've my doubts regarding the matter."

"Regardless," continued Jonathan. "I'm more curious to know how exactly they infiltrated so deep into Garmillas territory without being detected, and how they destroyed the starbase's defenses and patrol vessels so efficiently."

Jonathan turned back to the Garmillan radar officer.

"Mr Geiszler, have you analysed the recorded data from the Garmillan Starbase yet? Is there something that could show us exactly what happened before we arrived?"

"Well… I haven't done so… because… Erm…" Otto stumbled with his reply. "I wasn't allowed… to do so."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Jonathan.

"Your… security chief… He... Didn't allow me to use any of your computers to do so," replied Otto sheepishly. "So that's why I haven't been able to look into it."

Jonathan paused, realizing he hadn't clarified with Hobbs to permit Otto to use their computers and databases.

"Oh right, I forgot to inform Hobbs about that," replied Jonathan with a slight chuckle at his forgetfulness. "I'll have word with him to permission to give you some access to our computers. With supervision of course.

"Sir," said Eddie as he stood up from his chair. "If you don't mind, I'll like to assist Mr. Geiszler in handling decrypting the data from the starbase. Since our computers' run on different systems and programs compared to ones used by Garmillas and the fact it uses a different language, he'll need some help to use them."

Jonathan thought through Eddie's words before nodding in agreement.

"Granted, you may proceed; in addition, you'll be his supervisor for the time being and report his activities directly to me."

"Aye sir," replied Eddie.

"In the meantime," said Jonathan as he turned his attention to everyone present in the room. "We'll focus our repairs on our defensive capabilities, especially the graviton launchers. Fujimoto, I would like you to get your best electronic experts to fix the communication systems for good as we have yet to inform our superiors on what the heck has been happening yesterday. I don't like the fact it hasn't been fixed yet, so I want it done by two days latest. Strip it out and reconstruct the entire system if you have to!"

"I'll make that a priority sir," replied Fujimoto.

"Lieutenant Commander Welmer, have you charted a new course yet?"

"Not for the moment," replied Anika. "Because you haven't made a decision regarding where to head off next."

Jonathan held his chin deep in thought. In addition to the problems with their long-range comms, the coordinates of the other fleets participating in the exercise had been kept secret from each other, as they were supposed to run battle simulations against each other as if they were in a real shooting war. Thus, finding Commodore Davenport on the _Dauntless_, or General Dolmen in the _Württemberg_ to inform them of the situation was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. With the supposed resurgent threat of Gatlantis and the mysterious mobile space fortress still on the loose and possibly hunting them at this moment, it was just too risky to search for the other task forces alone. Right now, there were very few options left on the table.

"Welmer, are there any nearby Garmillan planetary bases?" asked Jonathan.

"There is one small Garmillan outpost on Kaladria 3," replied Anika. "It'll take two warp jumps from the Levia Asteroid Belt to reach it. Why do you ask?"

"Well since we aren't able to contact our superiors with our own communications, we'll just have to stop by the nearest allied base and use theirs," said Jonathan.

"That's your plan?" asked Josiah in disbelief. "Just warp over to the nearest Gamillan outpost, ask their staff for permission to use their comms, and just contact the rest of the fleet? Do you think they'll just allow a random Earth battleship that just waltzes into their territory, uninvited I might add, to use their comms?"

"We don't have much choice," replied Jonathan. "With Garmillan Starbase 239 gone, the other option is to head directly to Garmillas in the Salezar System. But it will take too long to get there and the possibility of being ambushed on the way to the Garmillan home world is high. I would rather go to a nearby planetary base or colony and use their communications center to contact the rest of our fleets for help. It's the safest and most logical option to take."

"I agree," replied Fujimoto. "This will give us more leeway time to repair the ship without any further interruptions."

"Why not stay in the asteroid belt?" asked Josiah. "I mean we could just linger here longer to finish our repairs just fine."

"And leave us vulnerable to enemy attack?" Jonathan replied. "No thanks, if we're going to make full complete repairs on the ship, I rather do it in allied territory with support vessels on our side rather than face an unexpected attack all alone. Besides, the priority is to inform the Garmillan and Earth higher ups about what happened. So, we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone if we head to Kaladria 3."

Josiah reflected on Jonathan's words and reluctantly decided that heading for Kaladria 3 was logically sound. "I guess you're right…"

Noticing a hint of doubt from the tone of Josiah's voice, Jonathan knew he had to renew the confidence of the officers present in the room of his ability to command.

"Look, about what happened during that skirmish with those Calaklums, I admit, I screwed up by freezing in shock as I hadn't anticipated their arrival. But next time, I won't make the same mistake again. From now on, this ship will be on full combat readiness as if she was fighting the War with Gatlanteans and be prepared for any kind of attack they'll try to throw at us!"

Fujimoto frowned discreetly at Jonathan's statement in resentment.

Not noticing his chief engineer's sour expression, Jonathan addressed both his impromptu acting navigator and fighter squadron leader. "Lt. Welmer and Flight Leader Asuka."

"Yes sir?" replied both Anika and Kaito.

"Once we arrive at Planet Kaladria 3, we'll position the _Audacious_ behind either a moon or hide the ship in an orbital asteroid field so we can conceal the ship from any possible enemy vessels that could warp into the neighborhood. Afterwards, I'll like to have four Cosmo Tiger IIs to be deployed in pairs to act as scouts to patrol the planet's perimeter. And if necessary, act as our first line of defense. All four will be armed with a balanced mixed of anti-ship missile and air-to-air missiles. Thus, they'll be ready to fight against any opponent that comes in their way. In addition, have four more fighters in reserve to be armed and ready for an emergency launch to back them up."

"Sounds like a fair plan," nodded Kaito in approval. "I'll have my best pilots ready to launch once we arrive at our next destination."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Fujimoto with skepticism. "Launching our fighters in foreign territory without permission from the base commander?"

"Judging from my experience in the war and the battle reports I read, Gatlanteans don't tend to back away from a hunt that easily. Even if their prey has given a them bloody nose in the chase," replied Jonathan. "If they are indeed pursuing us, there is a possibility they may come to Kaladria 3 as it's one of the closer planets to Garmillan Starbase 239. Thus, we need to make sure that we have total control the of battlefield before they arrive, with assistance of whatever forces the Garmillans have there of course."

"It will be good if we could use this planetary base's assets to our advantage," commented Eddie. "But there is one other factor you haven't taken into consideration captain."

"And what is that Midshipman Eddie?"

"The mobile space fortress," replied Eddie. "What happens if it turns up at Kaladria 3?"

Jonathan was left stumped, as he was so focused on figuring out a strategy to combat Gatlantean warships that he had forgotten about the mobile space fortress.

"Well… I guess we'll hope that reinforcements would arrive in time?" stammered Jonathan awkwardly.

Everyone looked at Jonathan with deadpan expressions.

In panic, Jonathan looked towards Anika in a pleading expression.

Anika sighed and decided to back her friend up. "Whether or not the station does indeed turn up, our primary objective is to contact our allies and superiors regarding both situations with the mobile space fortress and whoever is controlling those Gatlantean ships. If we can contact them fast enough, we should get reinforcements before our enemies get a chance to strike again. Besides, what Commander Lee said about our enemies attacking us at Kaladria 3 is still theoretical. We don't know if they'll follow us there."

"Exactly," said Jonathan. "Right now, our primary objective is still focused on repairs and communications with both Earth and Garmillas allies. If all goes well, we'll probably won't need to be engage in another battle anytime soon. However, I would like to be prepared if we are forced into another skirmish again. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded in reply.

"Good," said Jonathan. "Before I conclude, are there any more questions or objections?"

"I have one," answered Fujimoto flatly. "What about the late Captain Erickson? Did you bring his body back for a proper burial in space?"

Jonathan cringed as the rest of the command staff looked at him expecting his answer.

After composing himself, he gave his reply. "Regrettably no, we didn't have enough time to bring him back on board for burial. Especially since we had to bring the injured back on the ship."

"Injured members, in this case, just you," retorted Fujimoto. "After all, you seem to have a pattern of surviving while the rest of your comrades die in your place."

Everyone was taken aback by their chief engineer's sudden remark. Jonathan on the other hand, remained silent to Fujimoto's words.

"Fujimoto! That was out of line!" barked an angered Eddie.

"My apologies," replied Fujimoto. "I mean no real offense, but I presume you'll be holding a memorial for those who died right?"

Several seconds passed until Jonathan gave his answer to his chief engineer. "Yes... We'll hold one shortly before we depart the asteroid field with a 21-gun salute from one of our shock cannons. Rest assured, I already planned it in advance."

Fujimoto gave no reply but simply did a slight nod of approval.

"Ok," said Jonathan as he cleared his throat. "If there are no other questions, you may all be dismissed. We'll depart at 1800 hours. For those who aren't on repair duty, you are to report to the forward deck for the memorial ceremony in half an hour's time."

Within a minute most of the officers and other invited party members left, leaving only Jonathan and Anika inside the wardroom.

"Ahhhh," sighed Jonathan as he lean on the back of his chair in exhaustion. "Well that was one tough briefing! I hope I managed to motivate them back into shipshape after what happened."

"Well it's a start," commented Anika. "But as your first briefing as captain, I think you did pretty well. What's up with your chief engineer though? I know that he was upset at Captain Erickson's death, but he seems to be taking it personally."

"Beats me," mumbled Jonathan. "I rarely spoke with the guy ever since I was posted on this ship. Always gave me the cold shoulder when I tried to have a conversation with him."

"Was he close to your late captain?" asked Anika. "Like an old colleague or friend of his?"

"I don't have a clue, but I doubt it as Erickson didn't really spend any more time with him than the others," replied Jonathan.

"I see... Well I better being going off then," said Anika as she began walking out of the room

"By the way," Jonathan called out to her just before she left the doorway. "Thanks for helping me back there."

"No problem," Anika replied as she turned with around with an encouraging smile. "Just keep a cool head, will you?"

"I'll try," chuckled Jonathan faintly.

* * *

A couple of minutes later on the deck of the _Audacious_, a large portion of the crew stood at attention in space suits just forward of the first main shock cannon turret. Ahead of them, multiple repair robots and several members of the engineer and damage control parties were working on repairing the bow section of the _Audacious_. Some were patching up hull gashes with new metal plates while a couple were working on fixing one of the graviton launchers, which was raised out of its concealed slot and undergoing maintenance.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was cringing in pain as his right arm was aching inside his space suit's sleeve. After adjusting the sleeve to make his arm more comfortable, Jonathan noticed that Fujimoto had drifted off forward to meet one the repair party members down at the bow.

"Tell your men to pause their work."

"Huh?" came the voice of the puzzled engineering officer. "But sir-"

"Just do it," replied Fujimoto sternly as he gestured back to Jonathan and the rest of the represented crew members standing on the deck.

When Fujimoto's subordinate looked at what was going on, he understood his superior's orders and promptly asked the rest of the repair party members and their droids to temporarily cease work on repairs to the ship.

After drifting back in his space suit to the funeral gathering, Fujimoto made a beeline to the acting captain.

"I thought it would be good for everyone to pay their respects to their fallen comrades," Fujimoto promptly said to his acting captain. "Even if it interferes with their duty, they're still obliged to pay tribute to them."

"I see..." replied Jonathan, smiling weakly in admiration. "Well, I can't raise any charges for that."

Fujimoto didn't respond, but simply walked to his respected position among the gathered crowd on the deck.

With everyone in position, Jonathan looked towards Johanna and gave a quick nod to signal her to broadcast his voice throughout the ship.

"_Attention all hands,_" came the voice of Johanna which rang across all the corridors and rooms inside the _Audacious_. "_Please remain silent as the captain shall now give his speech for the fallen_."

On the deck, everyone looked to Jonathan in anticipation of what he had to say. The young acting captain swallowed, feeling extremely nervous and stressed that he had to speak about the sacrifices of their fallen crew members. He knew that he had to say something, but at the same time he didn't want a depressing speech to further lower the morale of the crew. Looking at the crowd, he saw that a few of the survivors of the _Reinicke's Fury, _including Anika and Otto, were also present and realized that he shouldn't just address the deceased from the UNCF's side but also of their Garmillan allies who suffered more causalities than they did. Having gotten a rough idea of what he wanted to say, Jonathan cleared his throat and began to speak.

"This is Acting Captain Jonathan Lee. As you all know, two days ago this ship and others from Earth and Garmillas came upon this part of the galaxy to continue our cooperation between our two planets for our common goal of securing peace throughout the universe. However, that peace was short-lived as enemies new and old have once again wrecked havoc upon both of our forces. They attacked us without warning or a declaration of war, killing both our fellow soldiers and civilians alike without mercy or chivalry. Good officers like Captain Alexander Erickson, Colonel Franz Von Henrik, and Lieutenant Colonel Hans Elrick, who perished trying to protect those under their command. The brave crews of the Garmillan cruisers and those of the Earth escort frigates who fought to their last breath before being claimed by the coldness of space. Today, we've come together to pay our respects to our fallen brothers and sisters. Though we grieve for their loss, we can never forget their sacrifice nor take it for granted. For it us that will carry out their unfinished work that they have so nobly fought for, to ensure that their deaths will not be in vain. It will not be easy, but if everyone can do the best of their respected abilities and duties, I believe that we can succeed in accomplishing our mission. And if we do, they can sleep peacefully knowing that it was worth it. That's all I have to say..."

After concluding his speech, Jonathan nodded to Josiah who promptly gave the quick order to rotate the second main turret to starboard for the 21-gun salute.

"Everyone, attention!" cried Eddie as the barrels of the turret began to elevate and lock into firing position.

"Salute!" shouted Jonathan as he raised his left hand to his forehead with the rest of the crew following suit. Moments later, the second turret began blasting away with blank Type-3 shells. One triple shot after another. Once seven salvos had been fired, Jonathan ordered the crew to be dismissed while Fujimoto told his repair crews to resume their work.

* * *

After returning back inside the _Audacious_ in the space suit locker room, Jonathan muttered a curse in pain as Kaito helped him out of his space suit carefully.

"Ouch! Watch it!" Jonathan gritted his teeth in pain.

"Sorry Commander," replied Kaito as he tried his best to remove the right sleeve. "You know, if you hadn't been so stubborn on insisting to perform the ceremony outside, you wouldn't be in this situation!"

"I had to," said Jonathan as he got his legs out of the suit and gritted his teeth as he tried putting his arm back in his sling cast. "It's protocol after all. Can't afford to sit comfortably inside the ship and let the the memorial service be carried out there without the ship's acting commanding officer."

"Well suit yourself," said Kaito as he helped him. "By the way, that speech of yours was pretty good! Wasn't what I expected, but I'm grateful that you also dedicated the ceremony to the other officers and enlisted men who perished in the previous battles."

"Thanks," Jonathan replied gratefully as he put on his jacket. "We didn't get to do it for them earlier before we arrived at Garmillan Starbase 239, so I thought it would be a good time to honor their memory as well."

"Indeed," agreed the fighter squadron commander. "Some of my pilots were actually motivated by it. Maybe a tad too much. Already they were bitterly disappointed and frustrated for not having the chance to launch and fight that mobile battle station. Now they're desperate and begging for another battle to get a chance to avenge their fallen comrades."

Jonathan laughed in amusement at Kaito's words before scratching his head in embarrassment. "Well I guess I did my job a little too well. I was hoping to spur them on to continue the fight. But not by that much!"

"Well if the opportunity presents itself," Kaito chuckled with a grin on his face. "I'll make sure they get their chance to let loose some steam. Provided if they don't pull anymore reckless stunts!"

"Indeed," added Fujimoto who had overheard the conversation while he was putting back his space suit into one of the lockers.

"It's good to motivate the crew and all," he continued as he walked towards the exit of the changing room. "But that doesn't mean you should get too cocky and pull off some reckless heroics. Not when we're still in a dire situation with no backup."

"After all," said Fujimoto, who turned his head to shoot a dark glare at Jonathan. "We wouldn't want a repeat of the _Dover_ now, would we Acting Captain?"

Not waiting for an answer, Fujimoto turned his head forward and left without another word.

"What was that about?" questioned Kaito, who was confused at the chief engineer's last remark.

Looking back at Jonathan, Kaito was stunned to see Jonathan's face downcast and guilt ridden.

"Sir?" asked the fighter squadron leader in concern. "Sir? Are you okay?"

Jonathan snapped out of his trance. "Huh? Yeah... I'm fine... It's nothing..."

"You're sure about that?" Kaito didn't seem convinced.

"Like I said, it's nothing Lt Asuka," insisted Jonathan before changing the subject. "Don't you have a briefing to give to your pilots? You've got a mission to carry out once we arrive at Kaladria 3."

"Oh right," said Kaito. "I almost forgot about it! In that case, I better go. By the way, you can call me Kaito. If there's anything I can do help, just let me know."

"Sure," Jonathan smiled faintly. "I guess I'll see you later Kaito."

"You too, Jonathan," replied Kaito with a friendly grin. "Gotta go and good luck to you sir!"

After the fighter squadron leader dashed off to meet his other pilots in their own ready room, Jonathan's face dropped back into its regretful state. The last words of Fujimoto still echoing in his mind. _"We wouldn't want a repeat of the Dover now, would we Acting Captain?"_

_Oh God_ Jonathan thought to himself in dread. _Is_ _this why the chief engineer was always cold to me? Did a relative of his die on the _Dover _in that ill fated battle? If so which one!? Could it have been one of the last few surviving engineers after-_

Jonathan cringed in pain as the painful memory resurfaced into his mind. He began to breathe in deep raspy breaths and started to hyperventilate.

_NO! NO! NO!_ Jonathan internally screamed as he supported his trembling self on the wall with his left hand. _NOT NOW! Stay calm! Take deep breaths..._

Within a minute or two, the panicking young captain was soon able to relax back to his normal self and catch his breath.

"Get together Jonathan," he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the bridge. "You still have a mostly functioning space battleship at your command. You can still amend your mistake after what happened. This time, I'll get it right..."

* * *

_A/N: A thousand apologies to everyone reading this fanfic, this chapter was originally supposed to be posted a month ago. But due to unforeseen events that happened in my personal life, progress on this fanfic had stalled longer than I wanted. Also, my proof reader was really busy so I couldn't ask him for help in my grammar. Either way, thanks to his assistance that I have been able to come this far.  
__Despite the delays, this has allowed me to make some revisions and edits on the future chapters I'm working on including this one. There wasn't supposed to be a funeral scene as I actually wanted to rush the story to quicken the pace of the plot. But I soon realized it was need for some character moments and I needed to address the crew's reaction to Erickson's passing._

_In the subject of real world news: Two days ago was the 10th anniversary of Yamato Resurrection (2009), the anime film that kick-started what is now known as the Yamato Revival Era after the franchise had been dormant for decades since the released of the film Final Yamato (1983). Since then, we got a live action movie adaptation and of course the current amazing remake series of 2199 and 2202. Gotta to say, the decade has arguably been the best time to be a Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers fan! Hopefully the best is yet to come with 2205 on the horizon. So happy 10th anniversary to Yamato Resurrection! Was a film ever so appropriately named as the beginning for the current era of this beloved anime franchise! _

_Anyway hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter and see you in the next one!  
_


	11. A Bureaucratic Blunder

**Chapter 11 - A Bureaucratic Blunder **

_**21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3**_

In the outer orbit of a reddish planet that had nearly its entire atmosphere filled with dense clouds, a small flotilla of three Garmillan escort type vessels, one Kelkapia-class strike cruiser and two other Kripitera-class destroyers, were on a routine patrol in an arrowhead formation. Inside the bridge of the lead cruiser, its commanding officer was on the watch and was bored out of his mind. He had just started another endless patrol shift in one of the most uneventful planets of the Large Magallenic Cloud.

Suddenly, the radar console started beeping loudly which prompted its sleepy-headed officer to awaken and check his readouts.

"Sir, we got an incoming warp out signature! Bearing 169!" the radar officer cried.

"Eh?" replied his superior half-heartedly. "Another supply or transport ship? Or is it our reliefs yet? I really want to get out of this god-forsaken place!"

"Negative! It's not one of ours! The warp signature is different from our engines! She's coming out now!"

All of the sudden, a massive white glare of light flashed off the Kelkapia's port bow and a massive grey and red Andromeda with dullish white markings emerged with ice rapidly melting off from its hull. The Garmillan bridge crew members are stunned by the arrival of the imposing Earth battleship.

"Was… That on the scheduled arrivals list?" stammered the helmsman.

"Definitely not!" replied the captain, his face also white as sheet. "That's one of those prestigious Earth Andromeda-type battleships, what's it doing here?"

Before any of his fellow bridge crew members could respond, a ship-to-ship transmission was broadcast from the speakers which came from their large unexpected guest.

"_Mayday Mayday, this the UNCF _Audacious _calling the Garmillan outpost on Kaladria 3 and any other allied ships in the vicinity. We've got an emergency that requires an audience with your superior! Does anyone copy? I repeat, we've got an emergency that requires an audience with your superior…_"

"Comms," said the captain of the Kelkapia, as the message was repeated again. "You better contact the commander on the planetary base. Tell him that we've got unexpected guests."

"Are you sure sir?" replied the comms officer. "You know his secretary isn't exactly the most-"

"I know, but just do it!" grumbled the Garmillan captain. "In the meantime, contact our guest. Let's see why in Iscandar's name they are here."

* * *

On the bridge of the _Audacious_, Jonathan was gazing at planet and the three Garmillan escort ships that were right off their starboard bow while Johanna was trying to contact the base's commander at her station.

"So this is Kaladria 3," Jonathan said to himself before turning to Anika. "Ok Anika, what do they have here?"

"Not much," admitted Anika. "It's a small resupply depot station for vessels that pass through this sector. It has a small airfield for spacecraft fighters but unfortunately lacks a docking or landing bay that can house a ship of this size."

"Well that isn't a major problem," said Fujimoto. "Andromeda-class ships weren't particularly designed to operate in planetary atmospheres. We can still carry out repairs in orbit of the planet."

"What about the colony's defense fleet?" asked Jonathan as he looked to Eddie. "How many ships do they have here?"

"Aside from the one Kelkapia-class cruiser and the two Kripitera-class destroyers that's near us," reported Eddie as he looked at his radar scopes and screens. "I am detecting one more Destoria-class heavy cruiser and four more Kripiteras. Other than that, there aren't any other vessels in the area."

"That's it?" moaned a dumbfounded Josiah. "Just two escort type cruisers and six puny destroyers!? We're not going to last long if those Gatlanteans attack us again!"

"At least it's better than nothing," replied Jonathan. "We'll need to make do with the forces they have, assuming they're willing to work with us."

"Captain," cried Johanna from the comms station. "The Garmillan cruiser is hailing us."

"Put it up on the main panel."

The main viewscreen flashes the visual image of the bridge of the Kelkapia-class cruiser and its commanding officer. Unlike the Destoria and the Meltoria, the control room of the strike cruiser was noticeably smaller than its larger cousins.

"_This is Commander Kolin of the Garmillan cruiser EX-1930 to unidentified Terron battleship_," said the captain of the Kelkapia. "_You're trespassing into Garmillan territory_. _Identify yourself and state your intentions_."

"I am Commander Jonathan Lee of the Earth Federation battleship _Audacious_," replied Jonathan. "I apologize for the intrusion, but we have a desperate situation that requires your help."

"_Our help?_" the Garmillan captain raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"We need to borrow your long-range communications," explained Jonathan. "Ours got damaged in a battle against an enormous mobile space fortress of unknown origin in sector NGC 1747 during the joint Earth-Garmillas fleet exercise. Our entire task force of both Garmillan and Earth vessels was nearly wiped out and we barely made a dent against that monster."

"_A new enemy attacking the Garmillas Empire?_" gasped Commander Kolin. "_Damn, so much for enjoying a new era of peace. But if that was the case, shouldn't you have contacted Starbase 239 instead? They have better resources and personnel to handle the situation._"

Jonathan closed his eyes and grimaced, knowing that he had to deliver the further bad news of what happened to the giant space station. "We did, but when we got there… The entire facility was already attacked and was in ruins."

Loud gasps of horror and disbelief could be heard from the other Garmillan cruiser as its crew was shocked by Jonathan's news.

"_Garmillan Starbase 239 was attacked!?_" exclaimed Kolin. "_How!? What happened!? Were there any survivors?_"

"I'm sorry," replied Jonathan grimly. "Our search and rescue parties were unable to find any survivors. We don't know how they took down the station's defenses and its patrol fleet so easily and swiftly, but we found out who was responsible and you're not going to believe this… It's the Gatlanteans."

"_Gatlanteans!?_" replied Kolin, frowning in disbelief. "_Is this some kind of joke? Those green barbarians have been extinct since the end of the recent war. Are you trying to pull a fast one on-_"

"NO! I am not! Damn it!" Jonathan immediately snapped as he gestured to his injured arm in its sling which forced Kolin to recoil back. "An entire Gatlantean battle group ambushed our escorting frigates which forced us to get back to the ship, only to be cut off by a trio of Needleslaves which slaughtered half of my away team including my captain! And then just before our battleship could assist our escort frigates, a pair of Calaklums warped in and destroyed them both, forcing us into an intense solo duel against the Gatlatean fleet that was also backed up by a Medalusua-class battleship which blew Garmillan Base 239 with its firestorm direct cannon to kingdom come! It was a miracle that we got out in one piece! If you don't believe me, I can send you all the recorded battle footage as proof!"

"_Ok ok ok, you don't have to vent it all out,_" nervously replied Kolin. "_If what you said is true, I'm sorry for your loss. But it's a lot to take in, a new enemy and surviving Gatlanteans… It's unprecedented_."

"No kidding," replied Jonathan as he calmed himself down. "Anyway, that's why we're here, to make repairs and use your communication lines to contact our respective superiors about what's been going on these past crazy twenty-four hours."

"_I'll see what I can do to help_," said Kolin. "_But unfortunately, I've got to ask for permission from my superior officer down below on the planet first for authorization to let you to borrow our long-range comms. So, I can't contact anyone outside the system until then._"

"Understood," replied a grateful Jonathan. "Also, if you don't mind, could I launch a flight of my spacecraft fighters to patrol the perimeter of the planet?"

"_May I ask why?_" asked Kolin.

"Just a precaution," replied Jonathan. "I don't want the Gatlanteans to catch us with our pants down if they come here."

"_I don't have the authority to let you launch your spacecraft_," replied Kolin. "_I'll have to ask the base commander directly for permission along with your other request. Would you mind if you wait for a while?_"

"No problem," said Jonathan. "It shouldn't take too long. We'll wait till your superior contacts us."

As Captain Kolin nodded promptly, Anika thought she noticed a slight grimace on his face.

"_Very well… EX-1930 out_," replied Kolin as he gave a quick Garmillan hand salute.

As the video call ended, Anika expressed her concern. "Is it just me or did that captain look a bit worried?"

"Of course_,_" replied Jonathan. "It's quite a lot of information for him to process, especially something as shocking as this. Hopefully his superior will be able to contact the rest of the fleet in the exercise. In the meantime, get the ship in a suitable hidden position near those asteroids and ready the catapult to launch the fighters."

"Aye sir," replied Anika as steered the Andromeda-class battleship towards a small cluster of asteroids orbiting the planet.

_It's true that the Garmillan captain could've been stunned by the possible resurgence of Gatlantis._ Anika thought to herself. _But why do I get the sense he was worried about something else?_

* * *

Inside the main hangar bay, four pilots of the Osprey squadron were waiting impatiently for the order to launch their Comso Tiger II fighters.

"Can we launch now?" moaned Genta, the pilot of Osprey Four on the radio.

"For the third time, Negative Osprey Four," replied Kaito inside the cockpit of his green Cosmo Tiger II. "We haven't received permission to launch yet from the bridge."

"But Osprey leader, it's been nearly an hour and a half since we were ordered into our Tiger IIs!" complained Genta. "We should have launched at least an hour ago!"

"Relax, there are occasions when the mission gets delayed," said Kaito. "Back in the War, when I was assigned to the _Apollo Norm_'s fighter corps, we were often called off or delayed for launch due to the lack of solid information about Gatlantean movements in the Solar System. The frustration was quite real for me back then, itching to get a victory after that humiliating defeat at the hands of the _Yamato_'s fighter corps when we were ordered to pursue them. So, just sit tight and patiently wait."

"Oh yeah, I remember reading about that!" exclaimed Konno from the cockpit of her Tiger II. "If I recall, you were the first spacecraft to be knocked out by Yamamato after that Garmillas fighter intervened with its EMP missile!"

"Osprey Two!" exclaimed Kaito, who had hoped that particular fact wouldn't be mentioned.

"Wait, our flight captain was the first to be taken out by _Yamato_'s top ace pilot Akira Yamamato?" said Genta, who snickered uncontrollably.

Immediately, almost every single pilot in the squadron began laughing their heads off, much to the annoyance of Kaito who rolled his eyes. Ever since that incident, most of his old squadron mates from the late _Apollo Norm_ wouldn't stop poking fun at him for being the first to be knocked out by the Yamato's top ace pilot.

"Come on guys, it really wasn't a fair fight" said Mitsuhiko, the pilot of Osprey Seven, who was more analytical and cool headed than his fellow hot-shot squadron mates. "Our flight leader was flying the decade old Cosmo Falcon which was already considered obsolete by the time the Cosmo Tiger I and IIs were introduced. Both of which I may add outperform and outgun the older Falcons in almost every aspect."

"Exactly!" replied Kaito, grateful that one of his subordinates was there to back him up. "There was no way I could beat the _Yamato_'s top pilot in that old bucket! If I was in one of those newer Cosmo Tiger IIs at the time, I might have stood a chance against her!"

"Fair enough," giggled Konno. "But it must have been an honor to fly with those living legends from the _Yamato_. Especially Yamamato-senpai!"

"I guess so," reflected Kaito. "Provided if they hadn't gone AWOL during the fleet exercises at Jupiter. Not a lot of us were pleased that _Yamato_ rebelled. Some felt betrayed considering they had previously thought of them as heroes who saved Earth. A few still hold a hateful grudge to this day."

"Erm, are you one of them?" asked Konno meekly.

"I beg your pardon?" replied Kaito.

"Do you…" Konno hesitated before finishing her question. "Hate Yamamato for what she did on that day?"

Seconds passed in silence as Kaito thought about Konno's question. "I don't exactly hate her for what she did. After all, she followed her moral code rather than blindly following orders. I respect her for that. Besides, if it wasn't for _Yamato_'s impromptu voyage, we wouldn't have learnt of the Gatlantean attack on Planet 11 or saved its survivors."

"I see, thank you!" replied Konno cheerfully.

"However, I still hold a grudge against her for shooting me down," replied Kaito immediately. "Next time, when I get into a space fighter combat training exercise with the _Yamato_'s pilots, I'll be the one to bring Yamamato down!"

"Or you'll get humiliated by getting eliminated by her again!" said Genta cheekily.

"Hey!" yelled Kaito. "Osprey Four, as your commanding officer. I order you to zip it!"

"Sorry sir, I didn't get that last bit," replied Genta mischievously. "Your radio is breaking up! What did you say again?"

"I think he said something about agreeing with you," said Konno with a sly grin on her face. "That he'll totally lose to Yamamoto-sempai!"

"Osprey Two!" roared Kaito as more laughter erupted from the Osprey squadron's radio.

* * *

In the bridge of the _Audacious_, everyone was waiting restlessly for the promised call from the Garmillan base. Josiah was tapping his fingers on his console out of boredom. Anika was leaning back with her arms rested behind her head. Johanna at the comms station was trying to keep herself from nodding off every five minutes. As for Jonathan himself, he had given up on staying awake and was lightly napping in his command chair, trying to make up for the sleepless nights he had recently.

On the other hand, Fujimoto and Eddie decided to keep themselves busy at their stations. The former checking updates and progress from the engineering teams on repairs, while the latter was carefully monitoring all his radar scopes and sensors on any sign of enemy contacts.

"'_It shouldn't take long_' the captain said," muttered Josiah sarcastically. "'_We'll wait till your superior contact us_' he said. How long exactly do they expect us to wait!? It's been nearly TWO HOURS since then!"

"Beats me," replied Anika. "They should have gotten back to us half an hour ago. Surely the base commander would have taken notice of an Andromeda-class battleship in his backyard by now."

"Hey Ensign Gibson," Josiah called to the comms officer. "Can you try to contact the base directly again?"

"I already tried eighteen times," mumbled a sleepy Johanna. "What difference does it make if I make a nineteenth call?"

"Why not try the Garmillan cruiser instead?" asked Eddie. "Perhaps they'll know why their superiors are unresponsive."

"Good idea," replied Johanna, as she worked on her console to contact the Kelkapia.

* * *

On the bridge of EX-1930, Captain Kolin was already in conversation with the base commander's aide.

"I'm telling you," protested Kolin. "I need to speak to Major Goer urgently! We've got a potentially a critical situation that requires his immediate attention."

"_Sorry Captain Kolin_," replied Captain Gisilbert, the base commander's aide. "_But as I said, Major Goer is in an important meeting with high command and has requested not to be disturbed unless it is absolutely necessary_."

"And as I said before, this matter calls for it!" yelled Kolin in frustration. "The security of the entire Garmillas Empire might be at risk if we don't report the Earth battleship's findings!"

"_Meh, do you expect me to believe the word of a few young Terron officers that the Gatlanteans have magically risen from the dead and have this giant new mobile space fortress that can supposedly slaughter an entire allied Earth and Garmillan fleet single-handedly_," scoffed Gisilbert.

"You forgot the part that Garmillan Starbase 239 was also destroyed," grumbled Kolin.

"_Which is also technically impossible_," retorted Gisibert. "_There are enough sentry ships and weapons on that space port to fend off an entire fleet till reinforcements arrive. And even if they were attacked, we would've received word about it by now_."

Kolin clenched his teeth in fury, annoyed at the utter ignorance of Gisibert. "I agree that it is difficult to believe that Garmillan Starbase 239 was destroyed. But if it is actually true, then the entire empire's security is at serious risk considering it's one of our most well defended bases in the LMC."

But before Gisibert could once again dismiss Kolin's argument, the comms officer interrupted their very heated conversation. "Sir, the Earth battleship _Audacious_ is hailing us now. Would you like to answer it?"

"Yes!" snarled an exasperated Kolin. "In fact, add them to the call. Let's hope they'll be able to convince this buffoon."

In a few moments, the viewscreen split into two video calls: The right half of the screen showing the bridge of the _Audacious_, while the left half presented the base commander's office.

"_Finally_," said a sleepy Jonathan, who had just awaken from his nap. "_Took you guys long enough. Was wondering whether you actually received our request or not_."

"_And who are you exactly_?" asked Gisibert, who eyed the young Earth officer doubtfully.

"_Commander Jonathan Lee, acting captain of the UNCF_ Audacious," replied Jonathan. "_We would like to get permission to use your long-range comms to contact either General Dolmen aboard the _Württemberg _or my superior Commodore Davenport on the UNCF _Dauntless _with regards to what happened to our fleet and Garmillan Base 239. I presume Captain Kolin here has already brief you on the situation?_"

"_Yes yes yes_," replied Gisibert in a nonchalant manner. "_I heard all about your bogus encounter about some new mobile space fortress that supposedly slaughtered your entire fleet without getting a scratch._"

"_I beg your pardon_?" said Jonathan with a puzzled look on his face.

"_I mean it sounds unlikely that your fleet, which has an invincible Andromeda-class battleship, could have been defeated so easily considering you could have easily used your almighty wave motion gun to wipe it out in one shot_!"

Jonathan frowned, clearly displeased by Gisibert's remark. "_You weren't there, we didn't have time to arm our wave motion gun as we were trying to defend our escorts and allied Garmillan ships from being slaughtered by that thing_!"

"_Sure, if that ever happened_," replied Gisibert. "_And then there is this ridiculous claim: Gatlanteans have returned and supposedly destroyed Garmillan Starbase 239? Utter nonsense! Nothing could have gotten through the space station's defenses before they could alert us of such an attack_."

"_But it's true_," cried a female voice. "_The entire base's sentry fleet was completely destroyed when we got there! We even fought a Gatlantean fleet with Calaklum-class battleships and barely escaped with our lives!_"

"Who is this?" asked Gisibert with an annoyed expression on his face. "How dare you interrupt us when your superiors are talking!"

A young female Zalti officer stands up into view and responds to Gisibert. "T_his is Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer, former helmsman of the late astro battle cruiser_ Reinicke's Fury _of the 21st Armored Corp of the 12th Squadron. I have been instructed by the late Captain Franz Von Henrik of the astro battleship _Lunderburg _to inform my superiors of the sudden destruction of our fleet_."

"_Eh, a Zalti_?" commented Gisibert. "_A young and pretty one too! Haven't you learnt to let your seniors finish talking? Talk about a lack of respect_."

"Yeah as if you deserve any of it," muttered Kolin to himself, starting to lose hope that the terron ship's commanding officer could convince the blockhead of a base commander's aide.

Anika's face reddens with fury, but before she could snap back at the disrespectful Garmillan officer, Jonathan cuts her off before she can reply.

"_Look, we're losing precious time_!" exclaimed a livid Jonathan. "_Every minute wasted means that the Gatlantans and whoever we encountered earlier will be able to freely attack many planets and fleets of the Garmillas empire without warning! If you don't believe our claims, I can send you every available recorded footage of the two battles plus the black box data recording from Garmillan Starbase 239 to prove it! Is that enough to convince you or not_!?"

Before Gisibert could reply, a moustache Garmillan officer appeared right behind him.

"_What's going on here Gisilbert_?"

* * *

Inside the main office of the planetary base, Gisibert was startled by the sudden appearance of his superior: Major Kunz Goer.

"Oh! Maj-j-or Goer!" stammered Gisilbert. "I di-d-idn't see you there! I see you…erm… Returned from your… conference call with High Command."

"What conference call?" replied Goer with a frown on his face. "I was just having a meeting with the colony's governor down at the pub regarding the delays about the supply ships coming in this week."

"Eh!?" squeaked Gisilbert.

"Also, can you tell me why an Andromeda-class battleship is parked in orbit of the planet?" added Goer.

"Oh erm… funny story," replied Gisilbert as he tried to compose himself. "Well you see-"

Kolin cleared his throat, and beat Gisilbert to the punch by answering Goer's question truthfully. "_The Earth battleship is here to ask us for permission to use our long-range comms to contact their superiors regarding an attack on its fleet during the Earth Garmillas Interstellar Bilateral Exercise as their own long-range comms are damaged. And Captain Gisilbert here has been taking his leisurely time to respond to their request for more than two hours."_

"Is this true?" Goer glared menacingly at Gisilbert who was quivering in terror.

"I-I- well you see-the cr-r-ew of that shi-p," stuttered Gisilbert as he tried to defend himself. "Also claimed th-a-t Garmillan Starbase 239 was attacked and eventually destroyed by Gatlanteans. I-I- didn't want to inform you- be—cause. It's an absurd claim! I mean that's one of our most defended space facilities! Surely it can't be so easily defeated by any enemy fleet without alerting us!"

"Wait, Garmillan Starbase 239 was destroyed?" asked Goer as he turned his attention to Jonathan on his viewscreen. "Is this true?"

Jonathan nodded his head somberly. "_I regret to inform you that it is. We were originally supposed to arrive at Garmillan Starbase 239 to inform top brass of the massacre on our fleet by a large mobile space fortress of unknown origin. But when we arrived, we found it badly mauled with its entire patrol fleet wiped out.  
I personally led one of two rescue teams to search for survivors, but sadly we found none. During the away mission, our last two escort frigates were ambushed by a task force of Gatlantean warships. We had just barely gotten back to the _Audacious _when three Gatlantean battleships, two Calaklums and presumably one Medalusa, destroyed both frigates and annihilated the station with a single flame strike cannon burst. We somehow managed to survive the ambush and destroyed at least half of their fleet before warping out to safety.  
If you don't believe me, we have already sent plenty of proof from our video recordings of the battle plus some surveillance footage data we extracted from the space station prior to its demise over to you. It just needs to be reviewed by you personally of course_."

Goer went to his computer and opened up the data files sent to him from the _Audacious_. As he looked though one by one, his eyes widened in shock as he discovered that the acting captain's claims were entirely true. Gisilbert himself also had a glance at the video footage and much to his utter horror realized he had completely screwed up. Goer turned to the now to his panicking aide and glared at him with a thunderous expression.

"And you kept them on hold _for more than two hours_!?"

Gisilbert trembled uncontrollably as he bore the full fury of his superior's rage. "B-b-but sir- Garmillan Starbase 239's defenses are too resilient to be overwhelmed so easily! They should have at least sent a distress signal before they-"

Goer slapped his subordinate in fury. "You idiot! It is this kind of narrow mindset that got my late second cousin into trouble with the higher ups when he was posted as the Milky Way Campaign commander! You should have at least taken a look at their evidence before dismissing their claims. Regardless of their rank or position!"

Turning back to the main viewscreen he addressed the young Terron captain regarding the terrible reality that was revealed to him. "Sorry about my subordinate's incompetence, I took a glimpse at several of your files and I believe that you're telling the truth despite how unbelievable it is. I'll contact high command regarding the destruction of Garmillan Starbase 239 plus that new unknown enemy you encountered prior."

Jonathan sighed in relief, glad that he finally got though to him. "_Thank you, Major Goer! Also, could you also try to establish contact with our superiors aboard the flagships of the Earth Garmillas Interstellar Bilateral Exercise? Aka General Dolmen of the Zoelguut-class super dreadnought _Württemberg _and Commodore Davenport of the Cosmo Navy Dreadnought-class battleship _Dauntless_? They're probably worried that we haven't established communications with them for the past twenty-four hours_."

"I'll see what I can do," replied Goer.

Just then, alarms started blaring out throughout the base. Goer rushed to the intercom and asked what was going on in the command center.

"Report!"

"Sir, our radar and sensors are picking up multiple contacts warping into the system!" came the voice of one of the radar chiefs of the control room. "We need you immediately in the command center now!"

"I'm on my way," replied Goer before turning to back to both Jonathan and Captain Kolin on the viewscreen. "Looks like we got company! Captain Kolin, order the rest of the ships to form up a defense perimeter. Captain- Uh, what is your name?"

"_Commander Jonathan Lee of the Andromeda-class battleship_ Audacious," answered Jonathan. "_I'm actually the acting captain. My CO was killed earlier during the away mission at 239_."

"You have my condolences Commander," said Goer. "But right now, would you help us to defend Kaldaria 3?"

"_It will my honor Major Goer_!" replied Jonathan with a grim but determined smile on his face. "_We'll coordinate our defense alongside your ships and we'll provide spacecraft fighter support as well._"

"Thank you Commander Lee," said Major Goer. "We'll see you later! Gharle Garmillon!"

"_Gharle Garmillon_!" replied Captain Kolin as he gave a Garmillan hand salute.

"_Godspeed to you too_!" added Jonathan as quickly bid farewell by giving the terron naval salute.

After both calls promptly ended, Goer turn his attention to a cowering Gisilbert.

"I'll deal with you later!" said Goer in a quiet but threatening manner which prompted his incompetent aide to flinch in terror. "But right now, we've got some Gatlanteans to repel! Inform the fighter squadrons for a full scramble!"

"Y-es sir!" stammered Gisilbert.

* * *

_A/N: So yeah, another chapter update done before the usual two or three week cycle. After the huge delay of the previous chapter, I thought it would be best to release the next one before a week and half has gone past to get back to the release schedule I had in mind for the rest of this first arc. There are at least four more chapters to be released before I take a sabbatical somewhere before the start of mid-2020 to give me a respite to start working on writing the second arc of the story. _

_In regards to bringing back a familiar name from Yamato 2199, I can confirm that Major Kunz Goer is indeed related to Major-General_ _Gremdt Goer. Our 'favorite' loud-mouth incompetent Garmillan commander. XD  
__The initial reason why I wanted to introduce a character of that infamous name into the story was because I wanted to have a blundering commander that doesn't take the word of his subordinates or allies seriously and was an obstacle to the crew of the _Audacious_. Goer felt like the appropriate name to use for this type of character but then I changed my mind as it didn't feel right creating what was essential a clone of the original Goer that we love to hate. Instead I decided to use his deputy commander as the bureaucratic obstacle that the _Audacious _crew had to face. So while this new Goer isn't as incompetent as his infamous second cousin, same couldn't be said for his staff officers... _

_In terms of appearance, I imagine Kunz Goer to be a Garmillan version of the infamous character from the Detective Conan franchise: Mouri Kogoro. I don't know why but for some bizarre reason, his voice (the first VA of the 'Sleeping Kogoro') and personality was so eerie similar to Yamato 2199's Major Gremdt Goer that I just had to make a Garmillan version of him!_

_As always, I hope you enjoyed this amusing chapter of the Audacious story and look forward for the upcoming space battle in the following one! Hopefully, I'll be able to release it before the New Year starts as it is a pretty big one with two whole chapters dedicated to it. So cheerio! _


	12. Attack of the Ospreys

**Chapter 12 - Attack of the Ospreys **

"All hands to battle stations!" yelled Jonathan as the bridge crew of the _Audacious_ prepped for yet another battle.

"Eddie report on the number and types of ships," ordered Jonathan.

"Enemy vessels are confirmed to be Gatlantean vessels alright!" cried Eddie as he began identifying the enemy ships on his radar screens. "I'm picking up eighteen Gostok-class missile ships, two Nazca-class carriers, twenty-four Lascaux-class assault cruisers, and at least four dozen Kukulkan-class assault destroyers!"

"We're outnumbered ten to one!" cried Johanna.

"It doesn't matter," replied Josiah. "We can wipe them all up with a single shot of the wave motion gun!"

"Sorry Lieutenant Anton," said Fujimoto dryly. "I'm afraid to report that the WMG fire control director and targeting systems have not been fixed yet!"

"Curses!" yelled Josiah, pulling his hair in frustration. "We're screwed!"

"Calm down," said Jonathan. "We can still win this provided if those Gostoks aren't armed with demolishing anti-matter missiles. Eddie, put up the visual of the enemy fleet on the main panel, maximum magnification!"

"Yes sir," replied Eddie.

Soon the upper screen revealed the arrangement of the enemy fleet. They were neatly arranged in three task groups in one row, which consisted of six Gostok-class missile ships each along with their respective escorting cruisers and destroyers in between them. While a fourth group comprising of the two Nazca-class carrier and their own escorts which were behind the leading vanguard of missile ships. Much to Jonathan's relief, none of the Gostoks were armed with the dreaded Demolisher anti-matter missiles that once mortally wounded the _Apollo Norm_ and decimated countless of Dreadnoughts, including his, during the Battles of Saturn and the Mars Defense Line.

"Huh, rows of Gostoks in front, with the carriers behind," Jonathan commented to himself. "Arranged in a wide dispersion too."

"Looks like they're cautious considering the beating we gave to the other fleet at Garmillan Starbase 239," added Anika thoughtfully.

"Probably, especially if they're here to hunt us down," said Jonathan before turning his attention to Eddie. "Radar, have they spotted us yet?"

"I don't think so," replied Eddie. "They aren't moving to attack us as our radar signature is still hidden from them thanks to the asteroids around us. In fact, the enemy fleet seems to be moving at a snail's pace."

"Captain? Should we move in to intercept the enemy fleet?" asked Josiah.

"Negative," Jonathan shook his head. "I don't want to give our position away too quickly. Let them make the first move and then we'll react appropriately to counter it."

"Captain, I think we should start launching our Cosmo Tiger IIs," said Eddie. "I bet Osprey squadron is itching for the chance to take a shot at the Gatlanteans."

"Agreed, although I would have liked to launch them much earlier according to our plan," muttered Jonathan. "Inform the hangar crews to prepare for a full squadron scramble. We're going to need every fighter in this battle."

* * *

Back inside the main hangar, alarms were echoing throughout the massive launch bay.

"_Attention catapult crews prepare for immediate launch of Ospreys Leader, Two, Four, Five, Seven, Nine, Ten and Twelve," came the voice on the loudspeaker. "Hangar crews load a full mixed weapons loadout of the Tiger IIs of Osprey Three, Six, Eight, and Eleven on the double! All remaining pilots get into your fighters! This is not a drill_!"

"What's going on?" asked Mitsuhiko, confused at the sudden change of the plan.

"A full squadron scramble?" added an equally surprised Konno.

Kaito switched his radio comms in his cockpit to contact the bridge. "Audacious Command, what's going on?"

"_Sorry Osprey Leader_," came Jonathan's voice. "_The Gatlanteans just arrived in the system a few minutes ago, we've been tasked to assist the Garmillan flotilla and the base's own fighters in defending the planet's colony_!"

"About damn time!" muttered Kaito. "What took you guys so long to get authorization to launch!? We should have done it at least half an hour ago!"

"_Trust me, you don't want to know_," replied Jonathan. "_Anyway, I wish you and your pilots Godspeed! Try not to get yourselves killed while fighting those Green barbarians_!"

"Roger that," replied Kaito with a grin on his face.

The large ventral hangar door was lowered down from the hull which was soon followed by Kaito's green Cosmo Tiger II being moved in reverse onto the catapult before being lowered into launching position.

"Osprey Leader, clear for launch!" exclaimed Kaito.

The green Tiger II was propelled backwards into space with metal sparks flying off the catapult. Kaito easily brought his personal spacecraft fighter under control before rocketing off. In a matter of minutes, the other seven pilots of Osprey Squadron soon joined their flight leader in their standard grey, black, and red Tiger IIs.

* * *

"Captain," cried the voice of Eddie from the radar console. "Our Garmillan allied ships have gotten into defensive positions on both our port and starboard sides. The Destoria and four destroyers are on our starboard side, while the cruiser EX-1930 is to port with her two destroyer escorts."

"Acknowledged," answered Jonathan as he continued to gaze at the visual display of the enemy fleet.

_That's odd…_ Jonathan thought to himself. _They aren't going in for the kill on those Garmillan cruisers despite having the overwhelming firepower advantage. What are they waiting for?_

"Sir, I am picking up multiple boogies being launched from the carriers!" cried Eddie. "Deathvatators! At least two dozen of them! They're heading to attack the Garmillan ships! ETA four minutes till they're in range to drop their payloads on the Garmillan vessels."

"So they're resorting to use spacecraft strikes first huh?" Jonathan said to himself quietly. "How long till we can get our other fighters ready for launch?"

"At least another six minutes!" replied Johanna, who was keeping tabs with the hangar crew on the progress of arming the other four remaining Cosmo Tiger IIs.

"What about the Garmillan fighters?" asked Jonathan. "Are they up in the air yet?"

"Negative," reported Eddie. "My radar hasn't detected any Garmillan spacecrafts that has launched from the planet."

"Damn it," Jonathan cursed under his breath. "Get me Major Goer. I want to know when our backup fighters are coming. In the meantime, authorize Osprey Squadron to intercept those Gatlantean fighters, but make sure they don't stray too far from our protective cover zone as they're heavily outnumbered three to one."

"Yes sir!" replied Johanna.

* * *

Inside the cockpit of Kaito's green Tiger II, the voice of Ensign Gibson could be heard on the radio.

"_Attention Osprey Squadron, you are authorized to engage hostile spacecrafts. But stay within the range of our long-range AA defenses as you are still heavily outnumbered_!"

"Copy that Audacious Command," replied Kaito with a smirk on his face. "We're moving in to intercept them! All pilots follow my lead and arm missiles for a long-range attack."

"_Roger_!" replied the seven other pilots.

The eight Cosmo Tiger IIs of Osprey squadron banked to the left and moved into position to attack the Gatlantean fighters that were focused on their bombing run against the Garmillan vessels. Their approach did not go unnoticed as ten of the Deathvatators broke off from the main group and moved in to cover the remaining fourteen from the attacking Earth fighters.

"_This is it guys_!" cried out the voice of Osprey Five.

"Drinks on whoever gets the least kills!" yelled Genta gleefully in Osprey Four.

Inside the cockpit of Osprey Two, Konno was nervous. Although she was confident in her abilities as a fighter pilot, she was still scared as this was her first time engaging in a shooting dogfight with real bullets and missiles. Would she be able to outfight the Gatlanteans? Brushing her fears aside, Konno focused on the job at hand and armed her missiles.

"Here we go, I can do this," said Konno quietly to herself, before loudly reporting that she was ready. "Osprey Two, missiles armed and good to go!"

"_Osprey Seven_," came the voice of Mitsuhiko. "_I'm armed and ready to fire_!"

"_Osprey Four ready to kick some Gatlantean butt_!" boasted Genta on Konno's radio.

After all the other pilots quickly reported that they were armed and ready to engage, Kaito issued his commands. "All fighters, lock radar-guided missiles on bandits."

On Kaito's HUD, the moving targeting circle on its display follows one of the approaching Deathvatators and locks on firmly, turning red.

"This is Osprey Leader, I've good tone!" yelled Kaito, pulling the trigger on his joystick. "Fox 3, Missile away!"

"Osprey Two, Fox Three!" cried Konno as she also let loose her missile.

"Osprey Four, Fox Three!" exclaimed Genta.

Within several seconds, eight missiles were launched off their rails from the Cosmo Tiger IIs and accelerated towards their targets at a rapid pace. The Gatlantean spacecraft fighters tried to take evasive action but to little effect. Six missiles slammed home, destroying three-fifths of the Deathvatators in the formation. The four surviving horseshoe crab-like fighters retaliated by firing off their own air-to-air missiles and then scattered on their own to beat a hasty retreat.

"Osprey Squadron, take evasive action!" yelled Kaito as he and the other pilots break in different directions to dodge the incoming missiles. However, Genta in Osprey Four chose to charge at one missile head.

"Ahhhh!" screamed Genta in his cockpit as he fired his pulse laser guns at the approaching missile.

Seconds before the missile could hit front of his Tiger II, it was detonated by the multiple impacts of the pulse lasers and exploded in a massive fireball which Genta flew though unharmed.

"_Osprey Four! Are you alright?_" asked Kaito's voice on Genta's radio.

Genta breathed a huge sigh of relief before answering his flight leader. "I got a little cooked, but I'm okay!"

"_Try not to pull another stupid stunt like that again_!" Kaito reprimanded. "_That could have killed you_!"

"Sorry sir," replied Genta.

* * *

Meanwhile Konno and Mitsuhiko were in hot pursuit of the four retreating Deathvatators. Mitsuhiko managed to bag one Deathvatator with a missile, while Konno had closed in the range in an attempt to use her pulse laser guns on another. The retreating Gatlantean spacecraft frantically tried to use its rotatory beam rapid-fire turret to shoot its pursuer to dissuade it from attacking. But its efforts were futile to as the movements of Konno's Tiger II were just too fast for it to score a hit and persisted on chasing the helpless Gatlantean spacecraft. Worse still, Mitsuhiko's Cosmo Tiger II had joined the chase, making the chances of survival for the Deathvatator extremely grim. In reaction to the dilemma of its wingman, the third Deathvatator broke off high and did a vertical loop which brought the Gatlantean spacecraft almost right on Mitsuhiko's six o'clock.

"Shit! There's a Gatlantean fighter on my tail!" cried Mitsuhiko in alarm, just as the Deathvatator short a rapid burst of laser fire. In response, Mitsuhiko put his Tiger II in an erratic barrel roll trying to throw off the enemy's aim. A few hits struck his wing, but thankfully the damage was minimum.

"Osprey Two, I need some help over here!" yelled Mitsuhiko as he tried to shake the Deathvatator off his tail.

Konno turned around briefly and saw that her fellow wingman was indeed in serious trouble as the Deathvatator was sticking close to Mitsuhiko's rear like a shadow. Immediately she applied the brakes and let the her prey escape and went off to help her wingman.

"Hold on Mitsuhiko! I'm coming!" exclaimed Konno as she swiftly got onto the Gatlantean fighter's rear and fire a quick well aimed burst of pulse lasers.

The result was instantaneous as the enemy fighter disintegrated in a fiery wreck.

"Phew!" sighed Mitsuhiko, relieved that his pursuer was destroyed. "Thanks Osprey Two! I owe you one!"

"No problem," replied Konno. "Gotta to say, these Gatlanteans are definitely harder to kill than those drones!"

"No kidding," Mitsuhiko concurred. "I guess drones are no match for living pilots after all."

As Konno came alongside Mitsuhiko's Tiger II, she noticed several bullet holes in the right wing of his spacecraft.

"Hey Mitsuhiko, are you alright?" asked Konno in concern. "Your Tiger II looks battered."

"It's just a scratch," replied Mitsuhiko. "Nothing serious to worry about, I can still continue the fight."

"Okay, but I'll stick close just in case if another Deathvatator tries to attack you."

"Thanks," replied Mitsuhiko.

"_Attention Osprey Squadron_," came the voice of Kaito on the radio. "_Continue the pursuit of enemy fighters and protect the Garmillan ships and the_ Audacious."

"Roger Osprey Leader, we're on our way," replied Konno as she and Mitsuhiko's space fighters veered off to the right to re-join their other fellow pilots in the opening stages of the Battle of Kaldaria 3.

* * *

Inside the bridge of the _Audacious_, Jonathan watched attentively as the battle's opening shots unfolded. So far not a single pilot from Osprey Squadron had been lost and they had managed to eliminate nearly half of the Gatlantean fighters. But even if they had drawn first blood from the enemy, they were still severely outnumbered.

"Captain, the remaining fourteen Deathvatators have entered into range of our surface-to-air defensive weapons," said Josiah. "Shall I let loose our cluster missile batteries?"

"Not right now," replied Jonathan. "It's too early to reveal ourselves just yet."

"Captain, I'm picking multiple contacts from our stern!" cried Eddie. "Garmillan fighters! DDG-110 Zedora IIs!"

Sure enough at least a dozen of the green sleek needle-nosed spacecraft with their swept double-delta wings shot past the Audacious and the other Garmillan ships and began exchanging fire with the horseshoe crab shaped fighter bombers, knocking out four of them in the process for the price of two. Though they weren't as maneuverable as the elite DWG 262s or the nimble DWG 109s, these planetary based fighters were still adequate and welcomed allies for the battle.

"Major Goer is hailing us sir," reported Johanna.

"Put him through," Jonathan promptly nodded.

The bridge's viewscreen lighted up to show the moustache Garmillan officer in what seemed to be a command center.

"_Apologies for the delay Commander Lee_," said Major Goer. "_It took a while to scramble all the fighters we had as some of them were having mechanic difficulties_."

"No worries," replied Jonathan. "They've made it just in the nick of time. Have you sent an SOS to any nearby Garmillan forces in the sector?"

"_Affirmative_," answered Goer. "_We managed to broadcast it for a few minutes before they jammed our transmissions. "But it's unclear whether anyone was able to receive it and send reinforcements to aid us_. _Right now, the colony's governor is getting the civilians down to the emergency shelters. _

"How many civilians are we talking about?" asked Anika.

_"About six hundred," _replied Goer_ "But it'll take at least more than an hour to get them all in!_"

"I see," mumbled Jonathan, unhappy that contact with their allies was once again cut off and the fact that hundreds of civilian lives were on the line. "I guess we'll have to hold out for as long as possible."

Jonathan turned to his radar officer. "Eddie what's the status of the enemy forces?"

"Osprey Squadron and the allied Garmillan fighters have the remaining Deathvatators pinned down and occupied," replied Eddie as he monitored his radar and sensor screens. "They aren't going to break our lines just- Hold on a second! I am detecting new movement from the enemy fleet! A couple of vessels have advanced ahead from the middle formation!"

"What's their composition?"

"Three Gostok-class missile ships and two dozen escort vessels of both Lascaux-class assault cruisers and Kukulkan-class assault destroyers!" reported Eddie. "They seem to be heading to engage the Garmillan ships on our starboard flank and are screened by six more Deathvatator fighter bombers."

"Really? Only a small portion of their fleet?" commented Josiah. "Our ship can easily deal with that!"

"It may be so for us, but not for our allied ships," said Anika. "Their firepower alone is enough to destroy them four times over."

"Agreed," said Jonathan. "I guess this is our cue to introduce ourselves. Lt Anton, target the approaching Gatlantean task force! Concentrate fire on the Gostoks. I want them eliminated before they get the chance to launch their missiles!"

"Yes sir!" grinned Josiah as he prepped the fire control systems of the forward shock cannons to acquire firing solutions on the two closest Gostok-class ships.

Outside, the two massive triple turrets of the _Audacious_ rotated slightly to the starboard side while their barrels were elevated by a notch.

"Targets locked!" Josiah declared. "Turrets one and two ready armed and ready!"

"Open fire!" barked Jonathan.

At Jonathan's command, the two forward turrets of the Andromeda-class battleship lashed out their deadly beams of wave motion energy and flashed towards their targets. One trio of beams from the first salvo exploded on impact onto the starboard wing of the hull of the lead Gostok, causing the vessel to list to starboard with flames and smoke pouring out of it, while the other trio of beams ripped off the second Gostok's upper hull, destroying its dorsal forward turret mounts. Despite the extensive damage to both Gatlantean warships, both were still intact. However, they didn't last for long as the second salvo of shock cannons quickly slammed into the two wounded vessels, causing them to explode into fiery wrecks.

With the _Audacious_' position given away, the escorting Lascaux cruisers and Kukulkan destroyers began to huddle closer around the last remaining Gostok and returned fire at the Earth battleship. Despite the large volume of impulse cannon beams fired at the Andromeda-class battleship, most of their shots struck the asteroids and meteors instead which acted like an additional protective shield for the _Audacious_. Undeterred by the enormous volume of fire that was directed at him, Josiah continued to pick off the weaker and fragile Gatlantean warships one by one with her shock cannons.

"Well it seems we got their full attention," commented Anika as the bridge vibrated as shots that made it pass the asteroids impacted on the _Audacious_' wave motion shields. "Good thing these Terron battleships are as tough as old boots."

"Indeed," agreed Jonathan.

"Enemy task force is reduced to fourteen ships," reported Eddie. "They've broken off from their main course and are now heading towards us."

"What about the third Gostok?" asked Jonathan.

"She's still continuing on its current course. Our allied Garmillan ships are now moving in to intercept it as we speak!"

"Damn it!" muttered Josiah in frustration. "I can't get a clean shot on that last Gatlantean missile battleship! Those Lascaux and Kukulkan-class ships are shielding every single shot I fire at it! It's almost as if they're trying to protect that Gostok at all costs!"

"Then we'll just have to wipe them off first!" replied Jonathan darkly. "Intensify shock cannon firing rate and add a barrage of torpedoes into the mix!"

"Yes sir!" replied Josiah as he armed the _Audacious_' forward torpedo tubes.

"Ensign Gibson," said Jonathan as he turned his attention to the comms officer. "Instruct Kaito and the rest of Osprey Squadron to intercept the Gostok. Make sure he either takes it or its missiles out!"

"Right away sir!" nodded Johanna with grim determination.

* * *

Inside the Cosmo Tiger II of Osprey Four, Mitsuhiko watched in awe as multiple explosions lit up in the distance where the _Audacious_ was relentlessly massacring the Gatlantean warships. The rapid volleys of shock cannon fire looked like a steady rapid stream of blue fireworks shooting out from the asteroids before blossoming into giant balls of orange fire.

"Amazing…" muttered Mitsuhiko. "That's the first time I've seen an Andromeda firing her guns at such a fast rate! And claiming that many hits too, honestly their tactical officer must be a crack shot!"

"_Eh, I wouldn't really count on that show-off_," scoffed Konno from the radio.

"Huh? What do you mean Osprey Two?" asked Mitsuhiko.

"_It's nothing_," replied Konno flatly.

"_Audacious Command to Osprey Leader, do you read_?" came Johanna's voice on the radio. "_You need to intercept the enemy Gostok-class missile battleship that is on an attack vector on our allied Garmillan ships. Make sure it doesn't get the chance to launch its missiles_!"

"Copy that Audacious Command!" replied Kaito. "Osprey Two, Five, and Seven follow me! The rest will continue to assist the other Garmillan fighters in taking down those horseshoe crabs!"

"_Roger_!" replied the pilots of Osprey Squadron.

As the four Cosmo Tiger IIs broke off from the main dogfight arena, Konno could already see the Garmillan ships firing their positron beam cannons at the approaching Gatlantean warship from a distance. But before the Tiger IIs could close the distance to fire their missiles, their radar suddenly began beeping loudly as new contacts were registered on their scopes.

"Incoming air-to-air missiles!" cried Konno.

"Take evasive action!" yelled Kaito.

The four Tiger IIs immediately began jinking in multiple directions to throw off the enemy missiles' aim. Fortunately, the small Gatlantean missiles missed their mark or failed to secure a good lock onto their targets. But there was no time to celebrate as six Deathvatators, the ones that were covering the Gostok, pounced on the Cosmo Tiger IIs which had been distracted by their earlier barrage of missiles that the Gatlantean fighter bombers had launched.

"This is Osprey Five! I need help!" yelled one of the Cosmo Tiger II pilots as he tried to shake off a Deathvatator on his 6'o clock. But his efforts were in vain as a quick burst of machine guns from the Gatlantean craft ripped through his left wing. Osprey Five could only scream as his Tiger II spun helplessly out of control until another burst of fire from the Deathvatator destroyed his space fighter.

Meanwhile in Osprey Seven, Mitsuhiko was also having issues trying to evade another Deathvatator that was hounding his tail.

"Ugh! I got another on my tail!" Mitsuhiko bit a bitter curse as he yanked his fighter right and left trying to throw off the aim of his opponent. "I'm completely defenseless!"

"_Osprey Seven, break right_!" cried the voice of Konno. "_I'll take him off your six_!"

Mitsuhiko banked hard to the right with the Deathvatator copying his moves perfectly. But before the Gatlantean space fighter could get another shot, a quick burst of pulse lasers from its two o'clock ripped through its entire fuselage and exploded into flames.

"Thanks again Osprey Two!" gasped Mitsuhiko in relief. "You saved me again!"

"No problem," replied Konno.

"_Osprey Two, look out! One o'clock from above_!" exclaimed Kaito's voice on the radio.

Konno looked up to her right and to her horror, saw that another Deathvatator was diving on her with guns blazing. Instinctively she turned hard right and cut power to the engines of her Tiger II, causing the Gatlantean fighter bomber to overshoot and miss its mark, but not before nearly colliding with her fighter.

Konno's eyes went wide as the Deathvatator dove right pass the left side of her Tiger II. Time seemed to slow down for her as she got a full glimpse of the ventral side of the horseshoe shaped fighter bomber with its missiles exposed for her to see. A second later after the Deathvatator dove below the Tiger II, it pulled out of its dive, and now began to chase Konno's space fighter. Konno's heart was in her mouth as she tried frantically to shake loose the Deathvatator that was bent on killing her. But no matter how she tried, the Gatlantean fighter bomber was stuck to her as if it was her own shadow chasing her.

"It's no good!" exclaimed a panicking Konno. "This guy is too agile!"

"Hang on Osprey Two!" cried the voice of Mitsuhiko. "I'm coming! Turn hard left!"

Mitsuhiko brought his Tiger II about and waited for Konno to make the turn to bring the Deathvatator right into his pulse laser guns' crosshairs in a Thach Weave to get the kill. However, the Gatlantean spacecraft sensed the trap, rolled over, and pulled a backflip dive in one and half seconds, performing a perfect curved split S maneuver, barely dodging the Osprey Seven's shots by a few meters. Undeterred, Mitushiko pulled a half-barrel row turn to the left and continued chasing the Deathvatator. Switching from guns to missiles, he quickly gained a radar lock on his target and let loose two missiles one by one. As he predicted, the Deathvatator tried to shoot his missiles down via his rotatory beam machine gun turret. The first missile was intercepted, but the second rammed straight home and blew the Gatlantean spacecraft apart.

"Bandit down!" yelled Mitushiko triumphantly. "Boy was that guy a tough one to kill! You okay Yashiro?"

Inside the cockpit of Osprey Two, Konno sweating and taking ragged deep breaths.

"_Yashiro? Osprey Two do you read_?" came the voice of Mitushiko on the radio. "_Are you okay_?"

"Huh? Yeah… I'm ok…" replied Konno as she snapped out of her trance.

"Listen, we're going to go on the defensive," said Mitushiko. "Need to stick close together so we can reliably fend off more attackers and have our backs. Are you still good to go?"

"Sure," mumbled Konno as she brought her Tiger II alongside Mistushiko.

"Wait a minute," said Mitushiko suddenly as a thought came across his mind. "Where's Osprey leader?"

* * *

Meanwhile for Kaito, he had his hands full as he was in a middle of an intense dogfight chase. He had gotten onto the tail of another Deathvatator only for a second one to get behind him. Luckily, the pursuing Deathvatator wasn't a good shot but it was able to keep him both on the defensive preventing him from gunning down his target. As a result, all three fighters were performing barrel rolls, scissors, and even turning circles in an attempt to evade or kill the other. Kaito gritted his teeth in frustration as he realized the more time he wasted being stuck between the two Gatlantean fighters, the more time the Gostok missile battleship was going to be able to fire its missiles without opposition.

"That's it!" thought Kaito in annoyance. "I've wasted enough time playing chase and tag with you two!"

Noticing that the forward Deathvatator was about to drift into his guns' crosshairs, Kaito dumped some fuel behind creating a smokescreen which blinded the pursing Deathvatator giving him a few crucial seconds to finally gun down his target. Just as the leading Deathvatator burst into flames, Kaito pulled the nose of his Tiger II upwards by firing his ventral thrusters and causing him to lose speed dramatically which resulted in the pursuing Deathvatator to overshoot his fighter. With the prey becoming the predator, Kaito leveled his space fighter back into normal flight and dashed after the fleeing Gatlantean fighter before the latter could figure out what had happened. He swiftly achieved a radar lock and fired a missile which made quick work of the Deathvatator, blowing it apart in a satisfying explosion.

With the two Deathvatators gone, Kaito turned his attention back to their objective target. To his dismay, the Gostok had started firing off its missiles despite taking a few hits from the Garmillan ships. The smaller warheads were the first to be released, which shot out like darts from their launch tubes and rail launchers. They were shortly followed by the two large missiles that detached from their moorings and trailed behind the swarm of smaller missiles.

"Osprey Leader to all fighters: Is anyone available to intercept those missiles?" asked Kaito frantically just as the swarm of missiles zipped past the range of his fighter's weapons.

"_Negative Osprey Leader_," replied Genta's voice on the radio. "O_sprey Four, Nine, Ten, and Twelve are still busy clearing up bogies here_!"

"_Same here Osprey Leader_," added the voice of Mitushiko. "_Osprey Two and I are being pinned down by two more Deathvatators. We're completely defensive and can't break off our Thatch weaves_!"

Damn it! Kaito cursed silently in frustration. If only the other fighters have launched from the _Audacious_ earlier, we might have been able to cripple or destroy that Gostok!

As he began to ponder whether he should chase after the missiles alone, Kaito looked down at his weapons display and saw that he had only two missiles and only half of his gun ammo left. Realizing that it would be pointless to try to pursue and take down the missiles, Kaito swung his green and white Tiger II around in the other direction, deciding that the best course of action was to assist Mitushiko and Konno and hoping that the Garmillan ships would be able to intercept them on their own.

* * *

_A/N: And this concludes part one of the Battle of Kaldaria 3! __This was a fun chapter to write as I finally got the chance to give the Cosmo Tiger IIs the dogfight action scenes they deserved. While they did play an active role in Yamato 2202, I was terribly disappointed that we didn't get to see them dogfight against their opponents, the Gatlantean Deathvatators fighter bombers, like how their predecessors, the Cosmo Falcons, did in 2199. The closest thing we got was a brief scene in episode 6 during the Battle of Planet 11 which was miserably short..._

_For the next chapter update, I haven't decided the next time to upload it as I want to focusing finish writing the 14th and 15th chapters before proofreading the continuation of the second part of the Battle of Kaldaria 3.  
Either way, I hope you enjoy this one as always and look forward to see what's next for the crew of the _Audacious _as they fight their third battle!  
Also early Happy New Year and Farewell 2010s! _


	13. The Crimson Calvary

**Chapter 13 - The Crimson Calvary **

On the bridge of the _Audacious_, Jonathan clenched his fists in anger as he witnessed the Gostok released its missiles upon the starboard Garmillan flotilla unopposed. The smaller Kripitera-class destroyers had tried to fend off the Gostok's attack by launching their missiles from their VLS silos but there were just too many Gatlantean missiles for the destroyers to intercept. Several of the smaller missiles struck two of the Kripiteras, tearing them apart. The large sole Destoria-class heavy cruiser also got hit by one of the smaller missiles on the wing but still managed to take down both larger missiles with its main guns before it could strike the killing blow to the vessel. By sheer luck, the starboard flotilla of Garmillan warships had somehow gotten off with less damage than Jonathan predicted.

"Captain, the remaining enemy Gatlantean ships and fighters of the task force are turning around and heading back to regroup with the last Gostok," informed Eddie.

Jonathan looked at the tactical display chart on his main computer screen and sure enough, one Lascaux-class cruiser and two Kukulkan-class destroyers were turning tail and moving to join the missile battleship in its retreat.

"So, we survived the first wave," said Anika as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "With little losses and damage too."

"Yeah, lesser than I expected to be honest," concurred Jonathan. "But now that the Gatlanteans know we've got an Andromeda-class battleship on our side; what move will they make next?"

* * *

Down below at the Garmillan base on Kaldaria 3, Goer and his staff were watching the command center's viewscreen as the four Gatlantean vessels turned tail and began to retreat.

"Enemy task force is pulling back from the main engagement zone!" reported one of the Garmillan officers.

"Excellent!" said Gisilbert with a smirk. "Inform all remaining Garmillan fighters and ships to pursue and destroy them all at once!"

"Are you sure about that?" asked Goer doubtfully. "Isn't it too early to charge?"

"Oh no!" replied Gisilbert. "If we can destroy them before they regroup with their main force, we will be able to lessen the odds against us. Besides, we can't let that Terron battleship get all the credit!"

"Ok then," said Goer hesitantly before turning to his comms officer. "Send out the command to our fighter squadron and sentry ships."

* * *

"Captain," said Johanna from the comms console. "The command post at Kaladria 3 has ordered all allied ships and spacecraft to pursue the retreating Gatlantean ships!"

"Wait what!?" A bewildered Jonathan turned to his comms officer. "But it's only just four ships out of-"

Before Jonathan could finish his sentence, the squadron of DWG 110s flew past the _Audacious_ followed by the Destoria and two other Garmillan destroyers.

"What the hell is Goer doing!?" said a stunned Eddie.

"Damn it!" cursed Jonathan as he watched Garmillan ships of the starboard and port flanks began to accelerate forward to follow their fighters. "It's too early to go on the offensive! The main bulk of their fleet is still intact! Tell them to fall back and maintain defensive position!"

As Johanna tried to contact the rest of their allies, she soon stumbled upon a heated conversation between one of the Garmillan ships and the command staff on the planet below.

"_We have them on the run! Destroy those Green barbarians! Let not one of them escape_!" said the gleeful voice of Gisilbert.

"_Belay that order_!" replied the voice of Captain Kolin. "_All allied vessels and fighters, Do not pursue the retreating Gatlantean ships! I repeat do not pursue the retreating Gatlantean ships! It's not worth chasing after a few ships_!"

Ignoring the warnings of both the _Audacious_ and Captain Kolin, the Garmillan fighters and the three Garmillan warships continue to chase after the fleeing Gatlantetan ships. Back at the middle formation of the main Gatlantean fleet, three Gostok-class missile battleships began to rotate and elevate their missile armaments at their oblivious targets that were lured by their retreating comrades. Once their battered allies had scattered in different directions, giving their main forces a clear line of fire, the trio of missile battleships let loose their arsenals directly at the blindly charging Garmillan force. Caught off guard, the DWG-110s tried to scatter and evade the incoming hail of missiles but their attempts are futile. There were just too many to evade. The fuselages of the space interceptors were ripped apart as one or even three missiles exploded on contact. The three Garmillan vessels didn't fare any better. The two Kripiteras were quickly destroyed by one missile each. The Destoria on the other hand took three missiles head on. The first hit struck the upper portion of the bow while the second hit struck the bridge, killing everyone in it. Finally, the third penetrated though the port side hydrogen scoop and detonated in the forward magazine, causing the entire ship to explode into two.

"We just lost the entire starboard flotilla and our allied Garmillan fighter squadron!" exclaimed Eddie.

Jonathan bashed his fist on the armrest of his chair in anger. It was extremely foolish and unnecessary to chase the surviving enemy ships of a smaller task force right into the crosshairs of the bulk of the main Gatlantean fleet. But there was no time to criticize their demise as there were still nearly forty-plus missiles flying towards the _Audacious_' position bent on crippling the Andromeda-class battleship.

"Vampire! Vampire!" cried Eddie. "Forty-six missiles coming in hot! Impact in forty seconds!"

"Intercept them with the Graviton launchers!" ordered Jonathan swiftly. "Energy burst type: barrier shield!"

"You got it sir!" Josiah nodded.

In ten seconds, the young weapons officer had gotten the four twin energy pulse disruptor weapons charged and locked onto the incoming swarm of missiles.

"Firing graviton launchers!"

The eight blue energy bursts flew away from the Audacious for several seconds before blossoming into a gigantic force field. A split moment later, the missiles impacted onto the other side of the barrier lighting up a massive storm of explosions and smoke.

"Confirmed!" reported Eddie. "All enemy missiles have been successful destroyed!"

"Forget the missiles," said Jonathan. "What's the status and movement of the main enemy fleet?"

"The starboard and port Gatlantean formations are breaking off from the main fleet with six Gostok-class ships in each group," replied Eddie as he studied his monitors and screen displays. "That's not good. If I am not mistaken, they're attempting to attack us from both sides!"

"Surrounding us in a pincer formation to entrap us between a hail of missiles eh?" Anika grimly said to herself. "Twenty-three ships on both sides. Going to be tough to repel or destroy all of them without taking a serious beating from them."

"But not impossible either," said Jonathan. "We just need to occupy their full attention on us so our remaining allied ships and fighters can pick the stragglers off without getting killed in the process."

"Easier said than done!" said Josiah bitterly. "This would've been a lot easier if the entire starboard flotilla didn't get themselves killed by chasing blindly into the jaws of the main enemy fleet like idiots!"

Jonathan sighed and silently agreed with Josiah's remark. With the starboard flotilla gone, there were no longer any ships available to hold or defend that flank from the Gatlanteans, aside from the _Audacious_ herself. While they may have been just a few ships with limited firepower, Jonathan still needed their support and wished they had stayed back in their defensive positions for this specific scenario. Worse still was that with the loss of the entire fighter squadron of DWG 110 fighters, the aerial defense of the orbit of Kaldaria 3 now rested on the seven pilots of Osprey Squadron, whom Jonathan was certain had used up most of their munitions and were exhausted. There were four more fighters still waiting to be launched from the main hangar but releasing them in the heat of battle would only make the ship and the pilots themselves vulnerable to being severely damaged or killed as the wave motion shield would have to be brought offline for the Tiger IIs to be launched.

Looking back at the tactical plot on his screens, Jonathan realized that the Gostok-class ships had yet to get into position to fire their missiles and that their own energy-beam weapons were still unable to hit the _Audacious_ at this extreme distance. However, the same couldn't be said for the _Audacious_ herself as her own main shock cannons could easily out-range the conventional beam weapons of most Gatlantean warships. If they could hit them hard and fast enough before they got into their own weapons' range on the _Audacious_, they could minimize the amount of firepower being thrown at their ship.

"It doesn't matter now," said Jonathan. "We'll continue to hold position and wither down their forces till we can push them out of this system! Lt Anton, you may fire at will!"

"Aye sir," replied Josiah before pausing for a second. "But which side do we focus on?"

"Both of them!"

At Josiah's command inputs, all four turrets of the _Audacious_ rotated to aim at their targets with two pointing outwards to the starboard, while the other two trained to the port side. No sooner had they gone into their respected positions the four triple 406 mm compressed shock cannons immediately began firing away at the enemy vessels, destroying nine in less than a minute including four Gostok-class ships. However, the surviving eight Gostok-class ships managed to brave the intense barrages of shock cannons and released their forward missiles directly at the defiant Andromeda-class battleship.

"Vampire! Vampire! Vampire!" yelled Eddie in alarm. "Forty-nine missiles incoming from both directions!"

"Fire starboard and port cluster missiles to intercept them!" ordered Jonathan. "Engage pulse laser batteries to fire a full sweep at any enemy missile that breaks through!'

"Aye sir!" replied Josiah. "Missiles away!"

Dozens of golden small projectiles shot out of the quad missile launchers in rapid succession and bolted off to intercept their respected targets. Thirty or so missiles were destroyed by the impressive golden fireworks display, but eighteen still managed to break though. The _Audacious_' pulse laser batteries quickly unleashed a spread of red bolts of energy at the remaining missiles, taking out all but four in the process.

In the bridge, everyone felt the jolts from the impact of the last four missiles which exploded against the wave motion shields.

"Well that didn't feel so bad," commented Josiah.

Suddenly the _Audacious_ was rocked by series of eight big impacts which nearly sent a few of the bridge crew members off their respected chairs.

"You were saying?" muttered Anika sarcastically.

"Wave motion shield down to forty percent!" yelled Fujimoto.

"What hit us!?"Jonathan gasped in shock as he steadied himself back on his chair. "I thought we got all the missiles!"

"I did!" Josiah insisted.

"Sir!" cried Eddie in alarm. "Six Kukulkan-class destroyers are charging at us from both sides! They're firing quantum torpedoes in addition to their main impulse cannons!"

Sure enough, while the _Audacious_ was busy trying to swat down all the missiles that being thrown at her, three Gatlantean destroyers from each side had taken the opportunity to move in closer and fire a deadly salvo of quantum torpedoes at the distracted Andromeda. These energy warheads were filled with compressed antimatter which were more five times more destructive and explosive in nature than most conventional physical torpedoes. As the Gatlantean ships approached the _Audacious_ with their rotatory turrets firing rapid pulses of green energy, another salvo of the deadly torpedoes was launched.

"Incoming!" cried Eddie.

"Anika, dive the ship!" screamed Jonathan. "Turn ninety degrees to starboard!"

"Got it!"

At Anika's controls, all the dorsal, starboard, and port mounted thrusters fired up at full power which lowered the _Audacious_ down while the ship spun clockwise on her center, causing the quantum torpedoes to narrowly miss their target, just barely flying over the Andromeda-class battleship. The Kukulkan destroyers however had gotten up close to the _Audacious_ and began strafing runs one by one with their rapid-fire impulse cannon turrets. However, with the _Audacious_ now showing a narrow profile with both bow and stern facing the enemy ships, some of their shots went wide. But soon after adjusting their aim, they began hitting their mark, some of the hits penetrating the weakened wave motion shield. After each ship's attack run, the destroyer would run off and withdraw to their respected battle groups. But not all were able to escape as two Kukulkans were blown to smithereens by the shock cannons of the _Audacious_.

"Wave motion shield has weakened to twenty percent!" exclaimed Fujimoto. "Armor plating on both starboard and port sides buckling with hull breaches on Deck 8 in Sections 03 and 05!"

"Sir! The Lasacux cruisers are joining the fight!" cried Eddie as the _Audacious_ began taking hits from the impulse cannons of the Gatlantean cruisers. "The Kukulkan-class destroyers are also making another attack run on us!"

Jonathan clenched his teeth in frustration, having not expected the Kukulkans to have come so close to their ship to stage a point-blank attack. With the wave motion shield nearly depleted, it was up to the _Audacious_' amour to withstand the intense bombardment. The situation was turning more for the worse.

"Lt Anton, continue to maintain fire on the enemy ships!" yelled Jonathan.

"Working on it!" Josiah shouted back.

* * *

On the bridge of the EX-1930, Captain Kolin watched on the screen as the _Audacious_ began to fire furiously from both the bow and stern at the Gatlantean ships. Despite the fact that the Terron battleship was still putting up a fantastic fight with shock cannons still taking out one ship after another, it was clear that she couldn't last that long without support.

"Damn it!" muttered Kolin, knowing that he lacked the ships and firepower necessary to help the _Audacious_.

With only his Kelkapia cruiser and the remaining two Kripitera-class destroyers. It was just too risky to intervene without getting himself and his escorts killed.

"Captain," the radar officer spoke up from his post. "The enemy Gostok-class ships are lining up to launch their missiles again!"

Looking at the screen, Kolin saw that the Gostoks were indeed turning their bows to face the _Audacious_ in preparation for another salvo of missiles to be fired. Looking back at the _Audacious_ he saw that the battleship was now starting to show smoke pouring out from few of the hits sustained in the battle, which meant that her shields were probably down.

"That's it!" he said in frustration. "We can't just sit here and let the Earth battleship sink on our watch while we do nothing to help them. Prepare for a torpedo attack and inform the Kripiteras to do the same! Target: The four Gostok-class missile battleships!"

"But sir," protested his executive officer. "We don't have enough firepower to destroy all three and their respected escorts!"

"I know!" Kolin answered. "But at least we can distract them and put some pressure off the _Audacious_!"

"Torpedo tubes one though six are ready for launch!" reported the weapon officer.

"Open fire!"

EX-1930 and her escorting destroyers released a spread of fourteen torpedoes at the Gatlantean ships just beyond the latter's range of their impulse cannons. The Gostoks and the few escorts that remained tried to intercept the torpedoes with their AA guns. Nine torpedoes were destroyed, but the remaining five slammed home onto two targets. One Gostok took four torpedoes which completely blew the ship apart, while the other took one missile on the starboard wing with moderate damage inflicted.

* * *

"Sir, the enemy Gostoks to the stern have breaking off," said Eddie. "They're going after Garmillan cruiser EX-1930 and her escorts! Captain Kolin is drawing them off!"

_Thanks for the assist Kolin_! thought Jonathan gratefully, relieved that now they only had to deal with the Gostoks coming in from the bow side. But he was also worried about Kolin's chances of survival now that the three remaining Gostoks from their flank had their full attention on them.

"Well that has lessened the odds for us. What do we do now?" Anika asked Jonathan, the latter of which was pondering over the next course of action.

With nearly half of the Kulkulkan destroyers and Lascaux-class cruisers destroyed, the _Audacious_ could try to focus her fire on the other Gostok-class ships attacking from the front before they could get a chance to fire their next barrage of missiles. Once they were eliminated, the _Audacious_ could try to rush and help the Garmillan captain destroy the other three missile ships. Hopefully if they were able to survive that long.

"Concentrate fire on the other four Gostoks," instructed Jonathan. "Once we destroy them, we'll move to assist-"

"Er sir," interrupted Eddie. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but we got company from the starboard side! The middle formation is now advancing forward to engage us!"

Eddie put up another visual feed on the main screen, showing that the rest of the Gatlantean ships had begun to move to engage the _Audacious_. With the energy barrier dissipated, the trio of Gostoks within that battle group were now free to unleash another salvo of missiles at the lone Andromeda. Worse still, the two Nasca-class carriers had launched more Deathvatators into the battle zone which mean that the pilots of Osprey Squadron were going to be overwhelmed.

"We're trapped!" moaned Johanna.

"Sir, which group do we focus!?" asked Josiah anxiously.

Jonathan grimaced, they was caught between a rock and a hard place. Although he could use all four shock cannon turrets to focus on the approaching Gatlantean ships from the port side as they were crossing their T, it would mean that he would risk leaving the _Audacious_ vulnerable to attack from the bow from the four Gostoks if they weren't destroyed quickly.

_Ugh! Damn those green bastards_! Thought Jonathan frantically. _Which side do I focus my ship's firepower on? Port or forward? Technically the middle battle group has one less missile ship than the formation in the front, but they got more cruisers and destroyers which can dish out more impulse cannons at us_.

After briefly thinking though, Jonathan made his decision.

"Have the forward two shock cannon turrets focus on the enemy ships coming from the front with a barrage of torpedoes from the forward tubes. The aft cannons will target the enemy fleet coming in from the port side with side missile batteries added it to the mix!"

"Aye sir!" replied Josiah.

"Lt Welmer, angle the ship 30 degrees to port!" ordered Jonathan. "We need to give our rear turrets better firing arcs in order to hit their targets."

"I'm on it!" Anika nodded.

As the _Audacious_ turned slightly to port, the massive battleship began spewing out tons of firepower from both forward and port. As the shock cannons blazed away at their targets. The eight hatches of the port weapons bulge compartment opened up and released sixteen missiles at the approaching fleet while the forward torpedo launchers released theirs at their own respected targets.

But before the missiles and torpedoes could hit their marks, the Kukulkan destroyers and Lasacux cruisers of both task forces once again shielded their bigger Gostoks, intercepting most of the missiles while opening fire on the _Audacious_ herself with their rotatory impulse cannons. Though three of the Gatlantean escort ships were destroyed in the process, they still succeeded in protecting their missile battleships from the defiant Andromeda-class battleship.

"Wave motion shield is down!" reported Fujimoto, as hits on the hull vibrated the bridge violently. "Armor is holding up for now, but I don't know how long she can resist this barrage!"

"We're not out of the fight yet!" yelled Josiah. "All our weapons are still functioning! We shall fight till every one of them is knocked out!"

"Captain," cried Johanna from comm console. "Major Goer reports that at least fifty percent of all the colonists have entered into the emergency shelters! He's requesting if you can hold out for another ten minutes!"

Jonathan grimaced, with this amount of punishment the _Audacious_ was enduring, there was no way the ship was going to survive even close to ten minutes. Theoretically, he could get Anika to pilot the _Audacious_ to break defensive position and try to lure the enemy fleet away from the planet. But with his ship almost boxed in from all sides, the _Audacious_ would still be taking tons of enemy fire if she tried to make a run for it.

_Damn it!_ Jonathan mentally cursed to himself. _If I try to flee our stationary position, I would risk planet's colony being left at the mercy of the Gatlanteans! But if I stay and hold position, I would risk the entire crew's lives and the ship itself! What should I-_

Jonathan suddenly froze in shock and began to tremble uncontrollably as an unpleasant memory resurface into his thoughts.

_No... Not this again!_ Jonathan thought desperately as a dreadfully familiar chill shot up his spine.

_This situation... It'_s_ too familiar... _Jonathan mentally talked to himself as he used his left arm to cling on tightly to his side of his hair_. No! NOOOO! _

Jonathan slapped himself to snap out his panic attack.

_I WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN_! Jonathan screamed mentally as he took a deep breaths to calm himself. _This time, I will make sure my crew comes out of this fight alive! _

In the radar console, Eddie saw multiple new warp signatures began popping up on his scopes. At first, he was about to dismiss them as more Gatlantean ships but soon noticed that their energy signatures were different.

"Captain! Multiple new warp signatures entering the system!"

"Not now Eddie," Jonathan yelled back. "I don't want to hear any more bad news!"

"No sir!" exclaimed Eddie. "They're Garmillan ships!"

Jonathan's eyes shot open at the mention of 'Garmillan' as a hopeful spirit rekindled inside him. Perhaps they were going to survive after all.

* * *

Inside the bridge of EX-1930, the Captain Kolin was in fight of his life as the three Gostok-class missile ships and their escorts pursued his ships. Green bolts of energy whizzed past his vessel as the Kelkapia-class cruiser tried to weave and dodge the heavy fire from the Gatlantean ships while also retaliating by firing its rear turret at its tormentors.

"Captain Kolin!" cried his radar officer. "We got ships incoming ahead of us!"

"Oh God…" muttered Kolin, thinking there were more Gatlantean ships that had went ahead to cut off their escape path. "My fellow Garmillans, it's been a honor to-"

"No sir!" interrupted the radar officer "They're ours!"

At this moment, a Meltoria-class battle cruiser followed by a dozen other Kelkapia-class strike cruisers whizzed past Kolin's flotilla and charged at the Gatlantean ships with positron cannons and torpedoes blazing. The Gatlantean vessels, caught off guard by these new unexpected visitors, were unable to respond as they were swiftly overwhelmed one by one by the new assault.

Aboard the bridge, cheers rang out on the bridge as Captain Kolin and his men watched their long-awaited reinforcements destroy their pursuers.

"Alright boys bring us around and join our allies for a counterattack!" ordered Kolin as he wiped the sweat off his brow in relief.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaito was on the defensive as he tried to shake off two Deathvatators that were on his tail. With ammo running low for both him and his other pilots, there was little chance at fending off this new wave of Gatlantean fighters.

"_This is Osprey Four_," cried the voice of Genta. "_I'm out of ammo and being pursued! I need help_!"

"_Sorry Osprey Four_," said the voice of Mitushiko. "_I got my own problems too_!"

"_What do we do Leader_?" pleaded the voice of Konno. "_We're going to be overwhelmed at this rate_!"

Before Kaito could respond, both of his pursuers suddenly went up in flames and exploded.

"What!?" exclaimed Kaito in surprise.

Before he could comprehend what had happened, a red DWG 262 Czvarke astro fighter pulled up alongside his Tiger II from behind with its pilot giving a salute at the stunned leader of Osprey Squadron.

As the red DWG 262 banked away from Kaito, he began receiving calls from his other pilots.

"Huh!? The Gatlantean fighters, they're breaking off!" stammered Konno in confusion.

"_Look! Are those_-" came another pilot's voice.

"Oh my Gosh! It is! Those are Garmillan Czvarke DWG 262 space superiority fighters!" exclaimed Mitushiko. "They're attacking the Deathvatators! We're saved!"

Sure enough, a dozen of the red elite Garmillan fighters were chasing and slaughtering the horseshoe crab fighter bombers, giving the exhausted pilots of Osprey Squadron the respite that they desperately needed.

"_All right_!" cheered Genta on the radio. "_Finally, some reinforcements at last_!"

"But where did they come from?" asked Konno. "They must have come from a-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a large red Gelvades-class battle carrier emerged from its red Geschtam jump wormhole just near the dogfight arena with at least half a dozen escorting Garmillan cruisers in the mix.

"Carrier…" Konno finished, before giggling to herself in amusement. "Well there it is…"

"Whoa!" gasped Mitushiko as he stared at the Garmillan capital ship. "That's a Gelvades-class battle carrier! Those ships are quite rare in the Garmillas Navy! Never thought I would see one this close!"

* * *

Aboard the Gelvades-class battle carrier _Graf Deusolbert_, Captain Vance Baren, an old veteran of the Garmillan Navy who had seen many conflicts such as the Battles of the Rainbow Cluster and the Celestial Ark, watched as four Gostok-class ships began to turn their attention from the Andromeda-class battleship to his own vessel.

"Looks like our Czvarkes have successfully been teleported by the SMITE system sir," replied the tactical officer. "Lieutenant Schnörrer reports that his squadron is repelling the Gatlantean fighters away from the main combat zone."

"Good," nodded Baren in approval. "Roll out the battle deck and prepare for anti-missile combat operations!"

"Aye Captain Baren!"

"No way…" muttered one of the bridge officers as he shook his head in disbelief. "Looks like those distress calls weren't joking after all! How are the Gatlanteans still alive!?"

"It doesn't matter," replied Baren calmly. "We'll just deal with them the way we have always done."

The old Garmillan captain turned to his communication officer. "Signal the flagship that we have confirmation of multiple enemy Gatlantean ships in the system and are engaging them in battle."

"Yes sir!"

"Oh and one more thing: Send the coordinates for our commander to make his entrance," added Baren with a toothy smirk on his face.

* * *

"Captain, the four enemy Gostok-class battleships are breaking off. They're heading to intercept the Gelvades!" informed Eddie.

"One Gelvades vs four Gostoks?" Jonathan questioned to himself. "Is that a fair fight even with its escort ships?"

"Captain, should we assist our new allies?" asked Josiah.

But before Jonathan got a chance to reply, the four Gostok released their arsenal of missiles at the _Graf Deusolbert_, firing at least forty to fifty smaller missiles at the battle carrier. The Gelvades immediately unleashed dozens of red position beams in rapid succession from her multiple positron cannons at the incoming wave of missiles along with its own arsenal of surface to air missiles added into the mix. The wave of Gatlantean missiles were quickly vaporized in multiple explosions as the full fury of the _Graf Deusolbert_'s firepower simply vanquished them before they got a chance to hit the battle carrier.

"Wow! That was amazing!" replied Josiah, who was in awe at the _Graf Desusolbert_'s impressive display of her weaponry.

"Well, I guess they got it covered!" Jonathan chuckled, relieved that the Gelvades could handle the Gostoks on their own. "Concentrate all fire on the enemy ships attacking our port side!"

"Captain we're picking up more Garmillan warp outs just off our starboard bow!" added Eddie.

"Put it on visual!"

Sure enough, there were a dozen of red circles of energy forming with the middle one particularly bigger than the others. A large ship busted forth from it revealing a distinctive pointed bow of yet another Andromeda-class ship. As the newcomer fully exited her wormhole, it became apparent that the vessel was a carrier-variant of the Andromeda-class. She was painted in red and dark grey with golden filigree markings straddled on some parts of her hull and upper flight deck. Seconds later, two Meltoria-class battle cruisers warped in and joined their flagship like obedient wingman on each side followed by other Garmillan cruisers. As more and more Garmillan cruisers and destroyers warped in, the red and dark grey battle carrier began launching two dozen delta wing DWG-109 Debake fighters from her upper multiple side catapults along with a dozen DMB-87 Snuka dive bombers which took off from the flight deck. The Snukas quickly flew off to the right to assist the _Graf Desusolbert_ in her battle against the other Gatlantean ships with half of the Debakes covering them from potential attacks from enemy fighters. Once the last of the Garmillan cruisers had finally arrived at the battlefield, the three dozen Garmillan ships fired up their engines and accelerated to engage the enemy fleet ahead of them.

"Is that one of our ships?" asked Johanna as watched as the large red and black battle carrier went pass their ship from the bridge's windows

"Nope, despite her appearance she's a Garmillan ship alright," replied Eddie as his radar identified the _Audacious_' near sistership. "One of four custom-built Apollo Norms-type battle carriers built for Garmillas Navy. I'm checking her registry number now. It's… CCC-01.. Wait a minute, that's-"

"The _Neu Balgray_!" Jonathan finished as his face broken into a big ecstatic grin. "Colonel Fomto Berger's flagship! Oh boy are we in for a show today!"

_Berger!?_ Anika's eyes widen in recognition of that name before her face twisted into a faint but bitter scowl.

* * *

Back at the duel between Baren's task force and the other Gatlantean ships, the _Graf Desuolbert_ had succeeded in destroying one Gostok and three smaller Gatlantean vessels while eliminating waves of missiles that was thrown at her. Knowing that the fight was beginning to turn unfavorable, the Gostoks began to withdraw by making a turn to starboard, firing their side missiles to cover their retreat. But just as they made their turn, a howling siren-like noise began to ring out, announcing the arrival of the Snuka dive bombers that had just began diving down at the Gatlantean missile battleships. The Gostoks immediately began to put up a wall of AA laser fire in a desperate attempt to take the Snukas out before they released their payload. Four out of the dozen Snukas were destroyed, but the remaining eight successfully released their bombs and struck home on all three Gostoks, mortally wounding them and left them sitting ducks to be finished off by the _Graf Desuolbert_'s multiple positron cannons.

In response to the arrival of the _Neu Balgray_ and her escorts, the Gostok-class ships from the middle formation fired all their missiles, both small and large, at their formidable new opponents. Before the missiles were even halfway to reaching their targets, a dozen Debake fighters dove down and strafed the wave of missiles, destroying nearly half of them in their diving attack. The rest of the missiles that did survive were soon dealt with by the _Neu Balgray_ and her escorts as they fired their heavy batteries of positron and shock cannons at them with their own torpedoes and missiles added into the heavy barrage. As a result, not a single Gatlatean missile had even come close to hitting the Garmillan vessels.  
When the detonations of nearly a hundred of missiles began to die down, the two escorting Meltorias suddenly peeled off in wide opposite directions with eight escorting cruisers and destroyers following each of them. The strike task forces soon came back around and struck at both right and left flanks of the Gatlantean ships, firing broadsides of positron beams which sliced though the sides of the enemy vessels like a knife though butter. It was a textbook pincer attack!

As the Gatlantean ships began to crumble in disarray, frantically firing their guns in all directions, the mighty _Neu Balgray_ emerged through the dissipating smoke cloud and charged though the center of the enemy formation like a raging bull. Her first victim was the lead middle Gostok, which blew apart from a focused volley of shock cannons which tore through its bow and detonated one of the smaller missile magazines from within the bowls of the ship. The other two flanking Gostoks tried to flee from their red and black predator, firing their impulse cannons in the hopes of damaging that Garmillan battle carrier who was hell bent on sinking them along with a few of their rear mounted missiles. Their efforts were futile as the green energy beams harmlessly bounced off the _Neu Balgray_'s shields and their missiles were promptly shot down by the modified Apollo Norm's pulse laser AA guns.

In retaliation, the _Neu Balgray_ fired her shock cannons, one turret per target, back at the Gostoks while releasing yet another spread of torpedoes that were aimed at the two Nasca-class carriers hanging at the rear of the now collapsing Gatlantean fleet. Once again, the escorting Kukulkan-class destroyers tried to shield their escorting capital ships by sacrificing themselves with their own hulls. But their efforts were now minimized as many had already been cut down by the attacks of the flanking Garmillan ships and couldn't get into position in time to protect both Gostoks. One of the missile battleships was soon crippled by a hit to its engines and was promptly finished off by another salvo of the _Neu Balgray_'s powerful shock cannons.

* * *

Back in the _Audacious_' bridge, everyone was watching the battle between Berger's fleet and the remaining Gatlantean ships, which was being broadcast on the main viewscreen, with Josiah and Eddie cheering and yelling words of encouragements to their rescuers as if it was a live sports match being played. Even Jonathan himself couldn't help but join his subordinates.

"Yeah! Another fine kill!"

"Keep it up you guys! Blast that carrier out of the water!"

"There's another ship that you left out! Get him!"

"Ooh! A fantastic hit!"

"Yeah! That's one hell of a battle carrier!"

With the battle clearly going south for the Gatlanteans, the few remaining enemy ships began to turn tail and warped out of the system one by one. Out of the entire Gatlantean fleet that attacked Kaldaria 3, only one Gostok-class missile battleship, one Nasca-class carrier, two Lascaux-class cruisers and five Kukulkan-class destroyers had survived to fight another day.

With the Gatlantean fleet defeated, the cheers within the bridge escalated as everyone was relieved and overjoyed that they survived what seemed to be an impossible fight to survive and win.

"We won! We actually won!" cried Johanna as she shed some tears.

"I can't believe we pulled that off!" exclaimed Eddie.

Even Fujimoto, who was usually pessimistic, wordlessly smiled and clapped his hands in approval.

"Well done guys," said Jonathan proudly as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead with his left hand and sighed in relief. "It was a tough fight, but we managed to survive long enough for reinforcements to arrive! And we even got the legendary 'Blitzkrieg' Berger of all Garmillan commanders to aid us too!"

"Heck yeah!" said Josiah as he leaned back and sighed in exhaustion. "Damn was that an awesome battle! Hope we get see another fight like that!"

"Yeah, but next time let's hope the odds are more balanced in our favor!" added Eddie.

As everyone began congratulating one another for their role in the battle, only Anika remained silent and didn't partake in the celebration and cheers. The young Zalti woman continued to glare sullenly at the _Neu Balgray_ as Berger's flagship came alongside the _Audacious_ from her starboard bow with the _Graf Desuolbert_ joining her from the battle carrier's port flank.

"Captain," said Johanna. "We're picking a transmission from the _Neu Balgray_ on an open broadcast."

"Put it through," replied Jonathan.

"_Attention all allied forces_," came the voice of the commanding officer of the red and dark grey Apollo Norm. "_This is Colonel Fomto Berger of the astro battle carrier _Neu Balgray_. Commander of the 16th Carrier Strike Group of the Great Garmillas Navy's 3rd Armoured Division. We've received your distress calls and have come to aid you in your time of need. To both Garmillans and Terron forces in the area, I'm ordering for all senior officers to come aboard our flagship for a full debrief regarding the circumstances of the battle. Also, you have my respect and appreciation for your valiant fight in defending Kaldaria 3 and look forward to meeting you aboard the _Neu Balgray_. That is all. Berger out_!"

"Huh, a debriefing on the _Neu Balgray_? Damn, this day just got even better!" said Jonathan to himself as a big grin came on his face.

"Sir, Osprey Leader is also contacting us," said Johanna.

"_Osprey Leader to Audacious Command do you read me_?" came the voice of Kaito.

"Audacious Command to Osprey Leader," replied Jonathan. "We read you loud and clear over. How're you guys doing?"

"_Tired and exhausted, the battle was rough on my pilots. We lost Osprey Five and Nine. Osprey Four, Seven, and Ten took damage but they're okay. We're requesting permission to land back on the ship for a well-deserved rest_."

"Permission granted; I'll have the hangar crews ready for your return. Also, pass my regards to the rest of your pilots for a job well done!"

"_Thanks Captain Lee, I'll see you later_," chuckled Kaito before he exited the call.

"Ensign Gibson," said Jonathan as he turned his attention to the comms officer. "In addition to getting the main hangar ready for Osprey Squadron's return, instruct the starboard hangar team to prep a Cosmo Seagull for launch in fifteen minutes. Lieutenant Commander Welmer, Sub Lieutenant Geiszler, and myself will be heading over to the _Neu Balgray_ for the debrief."

"Right away sir!" replied Johanna, smiling as she got to work.

"Fujimoto, dispatch your damage control teams to begin repairs to the ship," instructed Jonathan. "You can give me a report on the extent of the damage later once I get back."

Fujimoto simply nodded before turning back to his console to issue the orders to his repair crews.

Before Jonathan could exit the bridge, he noticed that Anika had yet to leave her seat.

"Lt Cmdr Welmer?" inquired Jonathan. "Aren't you coming along?"

Anika flinched in her seat at the mention of her name and looked back at Jonathan with a slightly crestfallen face. "Do I have to?"

"Erm, of course?" said Jonathan, who was puzzled by her answer. "You're the highest ranking senior Garmillan officer left of our destroyed fleet. Colonel Berger would want to hear a report from you. Is there something wrong?"

Anika grimaced and took a glance back at the _Neu Balgray_ which seemed to cast a shadow over her. Sighing in defeat, she knew that she couldn't ignore an order from a superior officer. Even if it was from him.

"No, it's nothing. Sorry about that," Anika lied as she shook her head before walking pass the perplexed acting captain. "Let's get Otto and get this over with shall we?"

_Okay…_ thought Jonathan as he joined her in the elevator._ What was that all about?_

* * *

_A/N: YES! Finally after nearly seven months, I can finally use the Berger character tag! Oh how long have I waited and dreamed to write and eventually post this chapter where the _Neu Balgray_ makes her badass entrance! XD  
_

_In regards to the _Graf Desuolbert_'s role in the battle, I thought that the Gelvades-class battle carrier was Garmillas' most suitable defense against the infamous __Gostok-class missile battleships for a couple of reasons. First of all, they have a large number of positron cannons (all of which are actually of a smaller-caliber than those that are armed on most Garmillan ships: 280mm vs 330mm) which can be tuned to fire in rapid bursts which should be effective enough to take out dozens of missiles. It similar to how the light cruisers of the Atlanta and Dido-classes were armed with multiple dual-purpose guns which made them effective anti-aircraft platforms against air attacks._

_It's a shame that the current Garmillas didn't have many of these in Yamato 2202 as a **certain** **faction** "borrowed" a dozen of these rare ships which could have been really useful in defending against attacks from those Gostoks... Yes, I'm referring to __Ghader Talan, Dessler's loyal sidekick officer! XD  
However, I could be wrong because even though we never see any Gelvades-class ships under the current Garmillas government of Prime Minster Hyss on screen in 2202, there has to be at least a few that were in service with the standard Garmillas Navy during the Gatlantis War that we didn't see. The _Graf Desuolbert_ particularly is one of those vessels. In my fanfic of course.  
In addition, I gave Baren the position as captain of the _Graf Desuolbert_ as I thought he deserves a command of his own considering how long he has served in the Garmillas Navy and also gave him the same type of ship that his old late friend __Vem Haidern would have commanded in Yamato 2199 if the latter hadn't been assigned on the _Domelaze III_ in the remake universe of SBY__._

_Anyway, for the next chapter update, I won't be posting it until at least a month later or longer from now as it is deeply connected to the following chapter which is still currently being written at the moment. So it's still subject to change for editing. Usually when I'm writing chapters involving heavy character interaction, it takes quite a while to finalize it.  
On a side note, I realized I misspelled __**Zoelguut** wrongly as the official name of the ship is spelled **Zoellugut **__according to the official merchandise and translation of the Garmillas super-dreadnought. Hence, I'll be making corrections to that error in the previous chapters.  
Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this action-packed chapter and look forward to the next one! _


	14. Stirring Up Old Wounds

**Chapter 14 - S****tirring Up Old Wounds **

In the space above Kaldaria 3, the reddish clouded planet's orbit was occupied by nearly fifty ships of the 16th carrier strike group, which was the biggest number of ships that had ever visited the planet. While the _Audacious_, _Neu Balgray_, and _Graf Desuolbert_ were moored together in a row, the majority of the Garmillan cruisers patrolled around the planet in groups of five with nearly half a dozen red Debake fighters covering them as air support. All of them were on high alert in case the Gatlanteans attempted another attack.

As the Cosmo Seagull transport craft left the _Audacious_' starboard hangar bay, Jonathan couldn't help but gape in awe at the sight of the _Neu Balgray_ which filled the entire canopy window. Though he had seen the vessel once during the Battle of the Defensive Line of Mars, an experience which had traumatized him, witnessing the _Neu Balgray_ in action was the one bright spot in that dark memory. The ship and her three sisters symbolized the alliance between Earth and Garmillas as they represented the perfect merger of technology between the two planetary nations: An Earth designed capital ship with the blood and soul of Garmillas' technology running through the vessel's veins. However, Jonathan wasn't the only one who was admiring the _Neu Balgary_ as Otto Geiszler was also enjoying the sight of the iconic astro battle carrier.

"What a beauty!" sighed Otto dreamily. "As much as I love Garmillan designs, your Terron designed Andromeda-type ships do look fantastic in our colors!"

"I know right!?" said Jonathan in agreement as his eyes went wide with excitement. "This is so exciting! I've always wanted to go aboard one of those Garmillan Apollo Norms! Damn she looks gorgeous up close and-"

"Guys," interrupted Anika flatly, who was dressed in her full brown uniform complete with her helmet which shielded most of her facial features. "We're only going aboard to debrief the command staff on what happened to our task force and Starbase 239. Not to take a tour of the ship!"

"Oh right! A thousand apologies Lieutenant Commander!" replied Otto. "Sorry for getting carried away!"

"Me too," Jonathan sheepishly added. "Got to stay professional of course especially since we're meeting a decorated Garmillan commander!"

"Eh, he's overrated" muttered Anika under her breath as she turned to look away from the front windscreen. "The faster we get this done the better."

Jonathan turned to Anika in concern. "Hey are you okay? You've been quite moody since the _Neu Balgary_ and her fleet showed up. Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah," added Otto. "Also why are you wearing your helmet on? You do realize you're going to have to take it off once you meet Colonel Berger, right?"

"It's nothing! Okay?" snapped Anika. "I'm wearing my helmet for… Professional purposes…"

Jonathan was taken back by this hostile response, but before he could inquire about her unusual behavior, the pilot of the Seagull announced to his passengers that they would be landing soon.

"Ok fine," replied Jonathan. "Just try to stay cool alright. Whatever's troubling you, just don't let it interfere with the meeting."

"I'll try," answered Anika quietly. "I just hope it won't take too long…"

As the Seagull touched down inside the starboard hangar of the _Neu Balgray_, her apparent ties to Garmillas became obvious as the hangar bay was decorated and designed with the typical green metal texture and patterns of an interior of a Garmillan vessel. As the door of the Seagull opened, a young blond Garmillan hangar officer came to greet Jonathan, Anika, and Otto as they stepped out of the transport.

"Welcome aboard the _Neu Balgary_! I'm sergeant first class Milt Evans! Watch your step please! I presume you're the captain of the Terron battleship?"

"Acting captain," corrected Jonathan. "My commanding officer was killed in combat two days ago."

"My condolences," replied Evans. "Do you need medical treatment? I see that your arm is injured."

"My arm?" replied Jonathan as he used his left working hand to point at his bandaged arm in its sling. "No thanks, it has already been treated. Anyway, I need to speak to Colonel Berger urgently. There's a lot I need to tell him."

"I'll lead you to him shortly, but first who are they?" asked Evans, who gestured to Anika and Otto behind him. "I wasn't aware you had Garmillan officers aboard your ship."

"Oh, those two?" replied Jonathan before stepping in to introduce both of his associates. "This is Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer, she is the surviving senior officer of her ship and is here to give a full report about what happened to us a few days ago. And that is Sub Lieutenant Otto Geiszler who has some important data to show to your superiors that is worth looking into. In addition, we've got fifty-six survivors from the their ship who need to be transferred off my ship."

"Very well. I'll see to it that their transfer be arranged," said Evans. "In the meantime, I'll lead you to Colonel Berger and his staff."

* * *

Inside the CIC of the _Neu Balgary_, Berger was listening to the reports of his men that were sent out earlier to investigate the wreckage of several Gatlantean ships.

"_I'm not sure what we can recover sir_," came the voice of one his search party leaders. "_Considering the devastation that we wrecked upon them, it will be hard to determine if these vessels were indeed crewed by Gatlanteans_."

"Noted," replied Berger. "Continue to inspect the wreckage of the enemy ships and try to recover some of it aboard for further examination. We need physical evidence for our report to Garmillas High Command to convince them that that the culprits behind these attacks are Gatlantean vessels."

"_Yes sir_!"

As the radio cut out, Berger turned to his deputy commander, Major Mamard Brandt. "Have you contacted General Dolmen yet?"

"Negative sir," replied Brandt. "I assume he's preoccupied right now. With all these reported attacks all over the outskirts of the Large Magallengic Cloud he's got his hands full."

"Indeed," agreed Berger. "If we can't reach him, try contacting Commodore Davenport on the _Dauntless_, he'll be pleased to learn that we finally found his lost Andromeda."

Just then, Evans arrived in the CIC with Jonathan, Anika and Otto in tow. "Excuse me Sir, I've brought the commanding officer of the terron battleship here as requested."

"Ah yes, welcome aboard Captain Erickson," Berger greeted as he extended his hand. "I must say you're much younger than I expected."

"Erm actually I'm the acting captain," replied Jonathan hesitantly, before taking his hand and shaking it. "Commander Jonathan Lee at your service. And must I say sir, it's an honor to meet you! You really came in the nick of time to save us!"

"You're welcome," said Berger as he smiled. "Even so, it's still a pleasure to have you aboard. But what happened to Erickson? Was he injured during the battle earlier?"

Jonathan's face fell. "Unfortunately, no. Erickson was actually killed in action yesterday during a battle at Garmillan Starbase 239 with the Gatlanteans. The aftermath of which resulted in the space port's destruction."

"What!?" exclaimed Brandt as he and Berger gasped in shock. "Garmillan Starbase 239 was destroyed!?"

All the CIC operators and officers immediately broke away from their duties and unanimously turned to the three newcomers with looks of disbelief and confusion. Jonathan and Otto felt uneasy as they became the center of attention of the entire CIC crew.

"Well," said Berger after a long pause. "If what you say is true, that probably explains why we haven't been able to contact Starbase 239 for the past five hours. I had thought the possibility of the space port being attacked as well and considered sending our battle group to investigate, but we picked up Kaldaria 3's distress call and arrived here to answer it instead. But to hear that it was actually destroyed…"

"Yeah, it's true. The place was already was a total wreck by the time we got there," said Jonathan somberly.

"Wait a minute," said Otto. "'Attacked as well?'. There were other bases of the Empire that were raided too!?"

Berger nodded his head somberly. "I'm afraid so, we haven't confirmed all of them. But at least five listening outposts and four surveillance stations in the outskirts of the LMC have been outright destroyed in the past thirty-nine hours."

"It's not just planetary bases or space stations," added Brandt. "Three fleets have been also been reported missing or failed to report in, yours included. General Dolmen and that Commodore of yours from that Terron Dreadnought requested our fleet to aid in the search for your task force after the _Lunderburg_ failed to report in."

Jonathan sighed in relief. "Well Thank God you guys found us! We were desperately trying to contact both General Dolmen and Commodore Davenport for the past whole day after our long-range comms got damaged in a previous battle! There are a lot of things we need to inform both Earth and Garmillas high command about, including what happened to our entire task force."

"Of course, but who are those two?" asked Berger as he looked at Otto and Anika, the latter of which stood behind Jonathan and Otto, hoping that her presence wouldn't be noticed.

"I'm sub-lieutenant Otto Geiszler of the late astro battlecruiser _Reinicke's Fury_," answered Otto. "I'm one of the survivors of the Garmillan ships that perished in battle against that new enemy space fortress."

"New enemy space fortress?" questioned Berger, raising an eyebrow at Jonathan.

"Yeah," answered Jonathan. "Like I said earlier, there are a lot of things we need to tell you about."

"Huh, in that case, I presume you're the highest ranking surviving Garmillon officer of your ship?" questioned Brandt.

"Oh no sir, that would be her!" replied Otto as Anika who immediately cringed slightly as her subordinate pointed his thumb back at her. "She's supposed to debrief on what happened to the Garmillan ships."

"Hey, you!" snapped Brandt. "Remove your helmet and identify yourself! It's not proper to meet your superior officers with that on!"

Anika looked down, took a deep breath and removed her helmet, frowning at Berger as her ponytail unfolded behind her back.

"Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer, helmsman and navigator of astro battlecruiser _Reinicke's Fury_," said Anika flatly after she raised her hand to salute the two Garmillan officers.

In response, a few members of the CIC whistle in appreciation at Anika's pretty features which prompted Jonathan to roll his eyes.

"Hmph, I was hoping for an older pure-blooded Garmillan officer to have survived," remarked Brandt, eyeing her with contempt.

"With all due respect," replied Anika as she forced herself not to glare back at Brandt. "I was ordered by the late Colonel Franz Von Henrik of the astro battleship _Lunderburg_ to report to the top brass of the Garmillas Navy regarding what happened. Like it or not, you'll have to work with me."

"That can be changed," retorted Brandt. "As a superior officer I can countermand that order and request for a more suitable witness to debrief us."

"Well I'm sorry but it can't be done," replied Anika in a respectful but firm tone. "Colonel Von Henrik's last order to me cannot be dismissed as your rank is lower than his! You've can't just ignore protocol!"

"We'll see about that!" snarled Brandt.

"Major Brandt, that's enough!" barked Berger. "Regardless of her young age and race, she's still entitled to follow her late superior's orders."

"Yes, Colonel Berger," replied Brandt reluctantly.

Just then another sergeant approached Berger to report something to him. "Sorry sir, but Major Goer and his aide Giselbert are arriving and request an audience with you."

"Very well, I'll meet them shortly give me a few minutes."

Berger turned to Jonathan with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, I still have other officers to meet up with and I'm rather busy handling the mop up operations here. I'll have Sergeant Evans bring you to the conference room. We'll continue our discussion there later in an hour."

"No problem Colonel Berger," replied Jonathan. "We'll see you later sir!"

As the four exited the CIC, Jonathan walked alongside Anika to check on her. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," grumbled Anika quietly. "As expected of someone who serves under Scarface, that major is an ignorant prick!"

"Hey watch it Anika!" said Jonathan. "We're not here to pick of fight with some bigot superior officer! Besides Berger isn't like him, he's quite nice and-."

"Berger?" Anika nearly wanted to laugh. "I wouldn't count on it! He's not the hero you all think he is! Especially after what he did…"

"What he did?" Jonathan was perplexed by Anika's hostile attitude towards Berger. "What are you talking about?"

Anika grimaced, realizing she had nearly brought up a painful memory that she didn't intend to share.

"Nothing," whispered Anika as she walked ahead of her baffled friend with her fists clenched in bitterness.

* * *

An hour later in the _Neu Balgray_'s conference room, Jonathan, Anika, and Otto sat opposite to the senior officers of 16th Carrier Strike Group at a table while a video transmission of Commodore Davenport of the _Dauntless_, along with his deputy commander, Lieutenant Commander Theodore Gregson, was being broadcast on a viewscreen to hear the trio's testimonies on what happened to task force EGU-2. Both Jonathan and Otto had also provided recordings of the battles they fought from both of their respective ships. As the recordings of the first battle were being played, Otto gave his full technical presentation of what they know about the mysterious mobile space fortress which left both Terron and Garmillan officers appalled and stunned by the destructive capabilities of this new enemy.

"Good Gosh," muttered one of the Meltoria captains under Berger's command. "And that thing has been on the loose for the past two days!?"

"We're not sure," replied Jonathan grimly. "But whatever it was, it clearly didn't have any friendly intentions. Have any of the reported attacks claimed any sightings of a gigantic spacecraft that matches the physical description of this fortress?"

"None so far," answered Berger. "All the distress calls we picked up mentioned nothing about a gigantic space station attacking them. Just ships executing hit and run attacks."

"_Considering that there weren't many outposts in the region you were attacked_," commented Davenport. "_It probably left the outskirts of the LMC and retreated to wherever it came from_."

"Wait, are you suggesting the mobile space fortress was just a scout?" said Otto as chills of dread ran up his spine. "Like how the early incursions with Gatlanteans were when they invaded our territories in the Small Magellanic Cloud?"

"_It's possible but hypothetical_," replied Davenport. "_Usually you don't send a singular ship that is nearly four kilometers long and ten kilometers tall to do recon missions. This titanic colossus looks more like a strategical mobile base for a major operation that should have several smaller vessels escorting it_."

"But we didn't encounter any vessels of unknown origin near it," replied Anika. "It might be a vessel designed to operate independently for long term missions. Like your _Yamato_ for example when she blitzkrieged though our Empire back in 2199 single handily. No offense I may add."

"_None taken Miss Welmer_," replied Davenport.

"Just to clarify, are you certain this new mobile space fortress isn't of Gatlantean origin?" asked Brandt skeptically. "You mentioned in your technical report that it has a powerful weapon that has the exact same energy signature of the Gatlantis' Firestorm Direct Strike Cannon. Considering the coincidental timing between the mobile space fortress' appearance and these unexpected attacks by said Gatlanteans, how can you be sure it isn't another top secret weapon of Gatlantis that is just waiting to unleash it's full destructive potential?"

"I don't think it's a Gatlantean vessel Major Brandt," replied Anika. "Its other weapons don't match the usual-"

"I wasn't asking you Zalti," said Brandt, dismissing her immediately. "I was addressing Sub Lieutenant Geiszler."

Anika shot a dirty look back at him. "Apologies Major. And for the record, it's Lieutenant Commander, Sir!"

Brandt didn't reply and instead turned his attention to Geiszler, who was feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of the cold Major.

"Well… As Lieutenant Commander Welmer was going to mention," stammered the young bespectacled Garmillan officer. "The station's other weapons just don't match any of the Gatlantean's energy-based weaponry we have recorded in our databases. Its design aesthetics also don't fit with the Gatlantean's knife edge and pointy style of ships. Commander Lee even stated the smooth and elegant design of the mobile space station actually fits more in line with the organic designs of most of our ships."

Jonathan sheepishly chuckled to himself at the mention of his description of the mobile space fortress.

"In addition," continued Otto as he pulled up magnified screenshots of the space fighter bombers that attacked the _Audacious_. "It's auxiliary craft that were launched against the _Audacious_ were of an unknown design that we have never seen before. Their narrow profile and fuselage are considerably different in appearance and color compared to the horseshoe crab design of the Deathvatators used by Gatlantis. Taking it all into account, the probability of this mobile space fortress being that of Gatlantis seems unlikely."

"Fair points, Mr Geiszler," Brandt nodded his head in approval. "But I still think we need to consider the possibility that it could be a modern and advanced Gatlantean weapons platform."

"It doesn't really matter Major Brandt," said Berger. "Regardless of whoever built that thing, it's a clear threat to the Garmillas Empire that needs to be destroyed quickly. We'll have to inform Admiral Dietz regarding this monstrous new enemy and figure out how to stop it."

"Of course," replied Brandt. "I'll see to it that Garmillas High Command be notified of this incident."

"However, before we discuss the events that led to the destruction of Garmillan Starbase 239, there is something I'll like to draw attention to," continued Brandt as he picked up a data tablet to read its contents. "With regards to the withdrawal from your first engagement, I see that you chose the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud as your rendezvous point. An area that is known to be extremely hazardous for ships to enter as its ionic discharges can cripple entire electrical systems of vessels and in some cases permanently disabling them."

A knot twisted in Jonathan's stomach as he knew where was this going.

"Care to explain why you selected such a dangerous location, Lieutenant Commander Welmer?" Brandt narrowed his eyes at the Zalti officer after placing down his data tablet back on the table.

Anika sighed and began explaining her actions. "Yes Major, there were calculated reasons for why I chose the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud as our rendezvous point."

"Calculated reasons?" asked Berger. "Would you elaborate them to us?"

Anika cringed in her seat and nearly lost composure when she heard Berger directly question her words. After having a thick reeling moment, she steadied herself and began to elaborate.

"First of all, there was a high possibility of our ship being tracked by the enemy fortress. To shake them off our trail, I decided to head for the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud as its iconic discharges inside it also jam sensor and radar readings. As you know, Warp and Geschtam jump tracking isn't pin-point accurate as the estimated coordinates can be off by a thousand of space kilometers. However, you would still be able to find your target with your sensors and radar. Hence, retreating to the Demetrius Dust Cloud decreases the chances of the enemy locating us. In addition, the Demetrius Dust Cloud also provides us with a better opportunity to mask our escape entirely. With the radars and sensors jammed, our pursuers wouldn't be able to get a positive fix on our space wakes from our next jump thus leaving them with a trail that runs cold. I know it sounds risky considering the hazardous conditions inside it, but it worked. "

"Interesting plan indeed," commented Brandt dryly. "However, you forgot to consider that the ionic charges also jam or even damage long range communications which prevented you from contacting the rest of the fleet for reinforcements or alerting us of the new enemy threat. Which in my opinion, should have been your number one priority."

"With all due respect, our ship's long-range communications were already damaged after we got hit by the debris of the Terron frigate _Hatsuyuki_ when she exploded on our portside," Anika explained as her expression began to harden. "We couldn't call General Dolmen if we tried!"

"And what about the _Audacious_?" Brandt countered. "The terron battleship might have her long-range comms functioning and could have called for assistance had it not been for you bringing the Andromeda-class battleship to that EMP interstellar field. Thus getting both crews into this messy situation. Am I not correct Commander Lee?"

Jonathan gulped as now Brandt's attention was now directed at him. He bit back a curse as he didn't want to be dragged into this kangaroo court that the abrasive major had skillfully placed him in.

As he glanced at Anika, he saw that her once calm resolve was cracking as she tilted her head down, quivering in dread about how her friend would answer Brandt's demands. Though the Major's harsh comments did made some sense, Jonathan still wanted to defend Anika's actions.

After thinking it through for a few moments, Jonathan carefully answered Brandt's question. "It is true that our long-range comms has been incapacitated since our skirmish with the mobile fortress. However, we couldn't determine whether it was from our fight with the new enemy or being struck by one of the ionic discharges. Until I get a full report about what caused the technical malfunction, the claim that my ship's comms were crippled in the Demetrius Ionic Dust Cloud is sketchy at best."

Anika had a small sigh of relief while smiling gratefully to herself that Jonathan had defended her.

"That may be true Commander," replied Brandt, scowling discreetly to himself. "But that doesn't change the fact that Lieutenant Commander Welmer willingly and knowingly placed your ship as well as her own in harm's way. The latter of which I may add was already battered and falling apart. This also forced her fellow shipmates to evacuate in a hazardous environment which further endangered their lives. Tell me, Lt Cmdr Welmer, how many more men were lost during the rescue operation or when you arrived at the Demetrius Iconic Dust Cloud?"

Anika grimaced as she thought about the flaws in her escape plan that she had failed to notice.

"T-t-wenty…" she stammered lowering her head in guilt. "Most of them were from the engineering department that was holding the ship together…"

"Ok, I've had enough of this!" Jonathan snapped, rising from his chair in anger. "With all due respect, this is supposed to be a debriefing, not an interrogation about the mistakes we did during our ordeals! Save it for later once we're completely done with our battle reports!"

"I agree, Brandt give the young lass some slack," added Captain Baren, who was also annoyed by Brandt's incessant questioning. "This isn't the first time I've heard of an emergency evacuation operation taking place in hostile environmental conditions. That was nothing compared to my experience landing my badly damaged Garlent heavy bomber on the old _Lambea_ in the heavy turbulent storms of the Rainbow Cluster!"

"But Baren old man, Brandt does bring up a good point," replied Berger. "Your emergency landing on that multi-deck carrier was done because we didn't have enough time to get the ship into calmer seas as you were critically low on fuel. If Miss Welmer had wanted to abandon ship and get her crew to safety on the _Audacious _with the best chances of survival, she should have jumped to a safe and hidden location like an asteroid field. If I wanted to save lives in a doomed ship, I would rather do it where the conditions of a smoother and successful-"

A loud slam of a fist onto a table violently interrupted Berger mid-sentence, jolting everyone in alarm. Looking at the source of the noise, Jonathan was stunned to see Anika glaring daggers at Berger with pure rage and resentment.

"Since when did you care about saving lives? Ex-Major Berger?!" spat Anika through gritted teeth. "You of all people…"

"Lieutenant Commander Welmer, hold your tongue!" barked Brandt. "Do not blacken the name of one of Garmillas' finest-"

"With all due respect Major!" yelled Anika, cutting him off. "I will speak!"

Turning back to Berger with fire in her green eyes Anika continued. "I've seen first-hand how you fight! You never cared about saving lives, all you care is just killing as many enemies as your possibly can without giving a thought on helping others who can't defend yourself. Always hungry to be the first to strike and deal the most damage to the enemy but never being mindful of your own surroundings!"

"Anika stop!" pleaded Jonathan. "This isn't you-"

"Shut up Jonathan, you don't know about him!" snapped Anika as tears began leaking from her eyes. "He is the kind of person who lies about his blunders and places the blame on another fellow officer who has more decency that he'll ever have! What kind of hero strikes down his own fellow officer just because the latter was trying to do something right?"

"Silence!" yelled Brandt turning purple with rage. "What in Iscandar's holy name are you talking about!?"

Anika glared back at Brandt. "I'm talking about the Battle of Corval! December 13th, 2198!"

Berger's eyes widened in shock, recognizing the event. But before he could respond, Brandt quickly seized the moment to arrest Anika.

"Enough!" yelled Brandt. "This Zalti officer is clearly delusional and emotionally compromised! I order her to be dismissed from the meeting and held in confinement immediately for insubordination! Guards take her away and put her in the brig!"

At hearing Brandt's order for her arrest, Anika snapped back to her senses and began to realize the gravity of the situation she had dug herself into. She looked to Jonathan with pleading eyes, but only saw confusion and dismay on his face.

_Of course, he doesn't understand_, Anika thought to herself bitterly as she surrendered to the guards that came to arrest her. _How could he? He wasn't even there..__._

After Anika was brought out of the conference room, Brandt cleared his throat and apologized to the dumbfounded Terron officers on the screen.

"Sorry Commodore Davenport for the inconvenience, I assure you that this will not happen again!"

"_Of course…_" replied Davenport, who felt awkward after watching the entire drama unfolded on his screen. "_I think it may best if we can now take a two hour break. Just for everyone to cool themselves off as well_."

"Very well, the meeting is adjourned for now," agreed Baren. "We'll contact you again in two hours' time."

"_Acknowledged_," replied Davenport. "Dauntless _reporting out_!"

As everyone left their seats at the conclusion of the meeting, Berger quickly grabbed a data tablet and looked through Anika's career profile to check whether his suspicions about her identity were true.

"I can't believe it," muttered Otto in shock. "Miss Welmer is usually such a pleasant and respectable officer, I've never seen her so angry like this before."

"Oh trust me, she was angry before," replied Jonathan. "But never in a meeting with superior officers like this."

On the other side of the table, Berger gasped in disbelief as he confirmed his suspicions.

"Of course…" mumbled Berger to himself as he dropped his head in remorse. "I guess it came back to haunt me again eh?"

"Colonel?" asked Brandt, having noticed his superior hadn't left his seat. "What is it?"

"Nothing," said Berger. "Brandt, could you go oversee the arrival of the survivors of the _Reinicke's Fury_ that are transferring from the _Audacious?_ Bring along Sub Lieutenant Geiszler as well for assistance."

"Yes sir!"

"Wait what!?" sputtered Otto in disbelief.

"Is there problem Sub Lieutenant?" asked Brandt as he narrowed his eyes at Otto. "You're now officially the remaining senior officer of the _Reinicke's Fury_ are you not?"

"No sir! I mean of course sir!" stumbled Otto quickly as he stood up and joined Brandt before he could leave the conference room.

With Brandt and Otto gone, Berger turned his attention to Jonathan.

"Commander Lee, may I have a discussion with you in my quarters? There's something I need to speak to you about."

* * *

Deep inside the _Neu Balgray_, Anika was brought into one of the cells of the brig. After the door was locked shut and the guard left her alone in the brig, Anika huddled herself on bed and began to cry while pounding her fists on her legs.

"Idiot! Idiot! I'm such an idiot!" Anika sobbed as she cursed herself for her unruly behavior in the conference room.

After wiping some tears off her face, she reached down to one of her pockets and brought up a holographic emitter close to her face. Turning it on, it revealed a holographic projection of her younger self at a Garmillan Naval Academy in her cadet uniform smiling with a Garmillan pureblood officer in his mid-40s behind her.

_I'm sorry Uncle Langscroff._

* * *

A/N: _Hey guys, I apologize for keep you waiting for more than two months. I had some things to deal with in real life so I didn't have time to continue this project until a week ago. As I mentioned before, this chapter and the four next ones are very closely tied together which needed constant rewrites and proofreading to make sure if flows logically and fluently as possible. Needless to say, it was massive headache to do as I didn't anticipate how hard or long this semi-arc was to be written. I really have to credit my proof reader for helping me out in this because without him, the story couldn't couldn't proceeded as well as I wanted it too. So big thanks goes to him. _

_Aside from Berger and Baren, there is another character from Yamato 2199: Ark of the Stars that returns in this chapter. Milt Evans, the young blond boy who served aboard the original carrier _Lambea_. I thought it would be nice for him to come back to serve under Berger's command once again. This time older and now promoted to Sergeant.  
__The character of Major __Mamard Brandt is inspired and based on real life American Captain Miles Browning, Vice Admiral Halsey's brash and confident chief of staff who later played a vital role in the Battle of Midway. And yes, despite being a brilliant tactician, Browning was also known to be arrogant and hated by his subordinates, most particularly his pilots._

_If you're still worried about when next chapter is going to be uploaded, rest assured that I'll be posting it next week. A lot of sleeping hours were sacrificed to write and edit these next few chapters as I really wanted to get it done._

_Until then, as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (despite the very long wait), and look forward to the next one. _


	15. The Fateful Choices of Yesterday

**Chapter 15 - The Fateful Choices of Yesterday**

_**November 25th 2198 – Outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud – Planet Tobruk**_

On the Small Magellanic Cloud Theater Astro Naval Base of Tobruk, a young 17-year old Private Anika Welmer watched from a balcony walkway staring dreamily at the view in front of her.

"Anika!" cried a voice from behind.

Turning around, Anika saw a young Alterian female private running towards her.

"Dani!" Anika smiled as her friend and fellow Garmillas Imperial Academy graduate, Private Dani Idele, walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," replied Dani. "We're supposed to meet up back aboard _The Blade of Altmark_ for the next mission briefing at 1800 hours, remember?"

"Sorry, that I forgot" replied Anika sheepishly. "I was just taking a nice stroll to enjoy the scenery and I just got entranced by this view! It's not every day you get to see the 6th Armoured Division in its full glory like this!"

Dani looked at what had occupied her friend's attention and sighed to herself. "Yeah, I got to admit it's a pretty impressive view, but we can't be distracted by our newly assigned fleet. Come on! Don't want to be late."

"No problem!" Anika smiled as she left the balcony, leaving behind the panoramic view of the massive astroport which included a colossal grey and white Zoellugut-class super dreadnought berthed in the largest landing dock.

* * *

"So, how did your afternoon tour of the communications center go?" asked Anika as both she and Dani entered the docking berths of their strike squadron's ships.

"It was okay," replied Dani. "The sergeant was a bit tight-lipped while taking my group for a tour of the facility. He looked pretty strict, maybe a tad too much."

"I'm not surprised, this is the front-line HQ of the Small Magellanic Cloud after all," replied Anika. "The guys stationed here are harden battle-veterans. Compared to them, we're mere rookies that haven't earned their respect yet."

"True," agreed Dani. "But even if we do so, I don't know if they'll treat us any differently."

Anika paused, remembering her friend's background. As a second-class citizen of the Garmillan Empire, Dani had struggled in the Academy as she was constantly picked on by other academy students, especially since she was from one of the rural towns of her planet. Despite this, she had the encouraging support from a few friends she made, including Anika, which allowed her to pull though and graduate to become a junior comms officer.

"Cheer up Dani," said Anika as she began climbing up the metal gangway of their ship. "We're under General Domel's command! We're lucky that we got assigned to a unit with superiors who value people with ability over racial hierarchy! As long as we perform our duties to the best of our skills, we will be rewarded for our dedication to the Garmillas cause! This is the best chance for you to get your family a first-class citizenship!"

"Yeah, I guess," replied Dani.

"That's the spirit," Anika beamed. "So, chin up okay?"

The two girls entered the ship, Anika asked a question to Dani.

"By the way, since you've been to the communication center, any recent news from the front lines?"

"From the rumors and reports I overheard, not great," replied Dani grimly. "Three more colonies in the Small Magellanic Cloud were attacked."

Anika bit her lip in frustration. "Any survivors?"

"I don't know," answered Dani as both arrived near the doorway of the conference room. "But judging from the recent reports of our earlier skirmishes with Gatlantis this year, I don't think there were any."

"Damn, more massacres," muttered Anika angrily. "What kind of alien race would ruthlessly murder both military personnel and civilians in every attack? This might the most inhumane enemy that Garmillas has ever faced in its history."

"Either way, those green barbarians won't get away with it," came a familiar voice.

Anika and Dani turned around and saw two other of their academy friends standing behind them. Ingrid Erika, a tall short-hair blond Garmillan young lady, and Wilhelm Meisel, a slightly burly Garmillan with turquoise hair.

"Idun! Wilhelm!" exclaimed Anika and Dani as the both hugged and shook the hands of their fellow academy graduates.

"What're you doing here?" asked Dani. "Aren't you two assigned to the 7th Strike Group?"

"That we are." replied Ingrid as she smiled. "But guess what? Both the 7th Strike Group and the 9th Strike Group are going for a joint mission together!"

"That's awesome!" Anika grinned. "The four of us going into battle together. This is going to be like those simulations in the days of the Academy!"

"Indeed!" chuckled Wilhelm. "I can't wait to give the Gatlanteans the pasting they deserve!"

"Well settle down Wilhelm, those Gatlanteans are quite the brutal enemy to tackle," replied Dani. "They aren't that easy to overwhelm, even with General Domel leading this campaign!"

"Well that's not what Major Berger thinks," replied Wilhelm.

"Major Berger?" asked Anika, before she realizing who he was referring to. "Oh, that hot-blooded commander of your strike group I've been hearing about."

"I heard that he's been personally leading all the vanguard Blitzkrieg attacks on the Gatlantean forces way before we were assigned to the 6th Armoured Division," added Dani as the four entered the conference room, which was already filled with several members of both the 7th and 9th Strike Groups. "How is it being under his command?"

"He's a commander that inspires confidence in his men," replied Ingrid before she thought about it more for a few seconds. "Maybe too much for our good."

"Oh, come on Ingrid," scoffed Wilhelm. "He may be cocky, but he's pretty good at his job. I mean we recently decimated an entire Gatlantean flotilla a week ago."

"Yeah but he's also reckless and impulsive," added Ingrid with a concerned look on her face. "I don't know why, but he has this dark fixated look every time we engage the Gatlanteans. As if he was searching or hunting for something…"

But before Anika or Dani could ask more, both commanding officers of the 7th and 9th Strike Groups, Major Fomoto Berger and Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff, entered into the room which prompted everyone to stand attention and keep silence.

"As you were," said Langscroff as he began the briefing. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff and I'll be briefing you on the upcoming joint operation between both the 7th and 9th Strike Groups while Major Fomoto Berger will explain the mission plan. Our objective is to destroy an enemy Gatlantean fleet that has recently captured one our Gaiderol-class battleships along with its crew just outside the Small Magellenic Cloud. As such, General Domel has ordered us to destroy the captured vessel and every single enemy vessel in that fleet before they get the chance to escape to their home world with their prize."

"Heck yeah!" muttered Wilhelm in excitement. "Another enemy fleet to vanquish."

Anika raised her hand to ask a question to Langscroff.

"Yes Private Welmer?" said Langscroff.

"Why destroy the Gaiderol?" asked Anika. "If the battleship is still intact that means her crew could possibly be still alive as prisoners. Why not stage a rescue mission instead to save them?"

A few of the officers and soldiers inside the conference laughed at her suggestion.

"Miss Welmer," replied Berger, who also chuckled sarcastically at her. "If you haven't read the reports, the Gatlanteans don't usually take any prisoners. They're murderers who never leave anyone alive or give mercy to those that surrender. A rescue mission is simply pointless considering their culture of war. They are savages who destroy everything they touch!"

"If that's the case, why did they capture one of our battleships rather than destroying it?" asked Ingrid curiously. "You claim that the Gatlanteans always had a penchant for destruction. How do you explain for this exception? Unless there is something of value to the Gatlanteans aboard it."

Berger flinched as he realized he had unintentionally hinted at info he wasn't allowed to share. Langscroff glared at him disapprovingly before deciding to address it.

"I can't disclose all the reasons why," said Langscroff. "But I all can say is that the ship is special enough to warrant it's capture. Hence why we need to destroy it before the Gatlanteans make use of it. This is an order that comes straight from High Command."

"I see," replied Ingrid. "A ship that has classified specs or tech? I guess that make sense for it to be captured."

"Anyway," continued Berger as he referred to the display on the screen. "Here's our plan of attack against the Gatlantis fleet. Our last known sighting of the Gatlantean fleet was reported to be somewhere in the Paraná Sector. Once the enemy's position has been confirmed by our scouts in the area, the 7th Strike Group will Geschtam jump into the area and execute a surprise attack on the Gatlantean fleet. The priority target will be the captured Gaiderol battleship, which means our attack must be swift and accurate as we cannot let the vessel escape the combat zone. After the destruction of the modified Gaiderol is confirmed, the 9th Strike Squadron will jump in and assist the 7th Strike Group to wipe out the remaining Gatlantean ships in the area."

"Huh… So, we're just the mop up force?" commented Dani to herself before turning to Anika. "Not exactly major players in this upcoming battle don't you think?"

"However…" added Berger, grimacing subtly for a few seconds before finally continuing. "We still have limited info on the number and types of ships guarding the modified Gaiderol. Hence, there may be a possibility that my strike group will need to call the 9th Strike Group early for reinforcements just in case the enemy fleet proves to be… too little difficult for us to deal with alone."

Anika suppressed a giggle as she glanced at Wilhelm. "'Inspires confidence' you said…"

"Well most of the time," Wilhelm sheepish replied. "He's probably upset that he won't have the entire enemy fleet for himself."

Langscroff cleared his throat as if to interrupt the two gossiping privates. "Anyway, if there are no further questions regarding the operation, the briefing is concluded. Be advised that we'll leave Tobruk at 0700 hours tomorrow morning! So, get some rest as we have a long week ahead of us! That will be all."

Langscroff and Berger raised their right hands to give the Garmillon salute with the rest of the privates and officers doing the same.

"Zar Belk!"

As the crowd began to disperse and go their separate ways, the band of four began to reflect about the upcoming operation.

"Ahhh! Another assault mission on a Gatlantean fleet!" said Wilheln excitedly. "Damn we seem to get all the action with Berger in command."

"A high priority one too considering the mission's objective," added Ingrid. "If we succeed in this one, we'll be all decorated as heroes."

"Not so sure if the same could be said for me," commented Dani. "I'm just the junior comms officer, while you guys play more active roles in combat."

"Come on Dani don't be such a pessimist," replied Wilheln. "Your role is just as important as ours! Besides, you're responsible for keeping your crew informed and updated with all situations and events during combat or patrol operations! Don't forget that you'll be listening to our call for assistance as you're posted on Langscroff's flagship."

"If you call us for help though," replied Anika. "I have a feeling by the time both Dani and I arrive, you would have probably finished sinking nearly more than four-fifths of the enemy fleet!"

"Oh Anika, are you suggesting we leave leftovers for your Strike Group to sink?" asked Wilhelm mockingly.

"Maybe?" chuckled Anika as the four broke into laughter, not noticing their senior officers approaching them from behind.

"Huh, so these four were your Academy students eh?" muttered Berger.

"Yeah," replied Langscroff. "My top four graduates actually."

"Major Berger! Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff!" cried the four cadets as they stood to attention and saluted their superiors.

"At ease men," replied Langscroff. "Corporal Erika and Private Meisel, how's life under Berger's command?"

"Extremely satisfactory sir! And a fine commander too," Wilhelm replied almost immediately.

"He's a fine commander," added Ingrid in a neutral voice. "Although he should be more cautious and less reckless when charging into battle."

"Hey!" protested Berger. "Corporal Erika. You aren't entitled to speak your full opinion of my command style unless I say otherwise!"

"Apologies sir," replied Ingrid calmly with a stoic expression on her face.

"And what do we have here?" said Berger as turned his attention to both Anika and Dani. "An Alterian and a Zalti? Another batch of second-class soldiers under your command Langscroff?"

"I don't mind them," replied Langscroff. "Regardless of what you think of them, I can assure you they are loyal to Garmillas. Like Colonel Shultz and his battalion for example."

"Hmph," scoffed Berger. "Even so, you won't be promoted if you keep babysitting these second-class inferiors. You're already in your mid-40s and haven't risen above Lieutenant Colonel yet."

Dani began to move forward to object to Berger's rude remarks, but Anika held her back and shook her head.

_Forget it Dani_, she mouthed at her companion. _It's not worth it_

"I'm fine with that," replied Langscroff calmly. "I don't want to be caught in the political dramas of the higher ups anyway."

"Excuse me Sirs," asked Anika. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure?" replied Langscroff with a warm smile.

"Once this operation is over, are we finally going to focus our efforts on defending the colonies at last? After all, wasn't the 6th Armoured Division called to the SMC to repel these invaders?"

Berger sighed as a frown of disapproval came on his face. "Private Welmer, you're too inexperienced and naive to understand how things are run down here on the front lines against Gatlantis. The attacks on the colonies happen too randomly and far apart from each other in the Nubecula Minor. We cannot afford to send too many ships away to protect them or else our forces will be too thin to push a major offensive against the main enemy threat."

"Anika, I hate to admit it but he's right," added Ingrid. "Besides, we already have defensive flotillas stationed at some of those colonies."

"But they aren't adequate to protect a colonial planet!" Anika argued. "A defensive flotilla of around a dozen ships would be easily overwhelmed by a Gatlantean raiding fleet. If they had at least two dozen or thirty ships each, then they'll stand a chance. We don't need to divert all our ships, just enough to strengthen their numbers."

"Fair point Miss Welmer, but you forgot something important," replied Berger. "Even if the Colonies were adequately defended according to the numbers you're suggesting, how are we going to replace their losses every time they repel an attack? Redirecting ships from our front lines at the expense of our offensive operations?"

"No…" mumbled Anika as she tried to counter his argument. "But theoretically we could send ships from our defensive patrols that are near those planets to back them up at a moment's notice. Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff did that before at the Battle of Tairoa."

Before Langscroff could reply to Anika's defence, Berger firmly cut him off to give his own response. "It won't work Private Welmer. Not against an enemy like Gatlantis. They'll relentlessly attack and kill their targets no matter how strong your defenses are placed. If you want to stop them from killing the civilians on the colonial planets. You need to kill them first before they get a chance to strike."

"But that's…. not… good enough…" stammered Anika softly, realizing she couldn't really counter Berger's point.

"Suit yourself," scoffed Berger as he turned to leave. "But that's the harsh reality here. Erika, Meisel, we're leaving! We're heading back to the ship."

"Yes sir!"

Both Ingrid and Wilhelm gave an apologetic look to both Anika and Dani.

"Sorry guys, we'll catch up with you later," said Wilhelm. "Be seeing you later!"

"You too!" replied Dani while Anika just gave a quiet nod, watching their friends leaving the conference room

Before Berger could leave as well, Langscroff called out to him. "Berger, I know I've no right to say this but know this. You may kill as many Gatlanteans you want, but it won't take your pain away."

Berger clenched his fists and clenched his jaw.

"Did Major Ghetto tell you about it?"

"Only because he's concerned about you. He's your friend after all."

Berger paused at the doorway, before leaving silently without replying.

"What a rude arrogant jerk," Dani scowled to herself. "Honestly, how is an officer like him under Domel's command?"

"Idele," cautioned Langscroff. "What have I taught you all those months in the academy?"

"Respect your superiors regardless of who they are," replied Dani with chagrin in her tone before sighing. "With all due respect sir, it's so hard to do that. Especially pure-blooded officers like him."

"Well he's not that bad," commented Anika. "We've seen worse."

"Fair enough," said Dani as she also took her leave. "I'm heading to the mess hall for dinner. Care to join me Anika?"

"I'll join you later," replied Anika. "You go on ahead."

"Ok, I'll see you then!" said Dani as she dashed off to the mess hall, leaving both Langscroff and Anika alone.

"You do realize Major Berger is right," said Langscroff as he turned to the pouting Zalti girl.

"Look I get that we have to defeat our enemies in battle, but what's the point if we ignore people dying in front of us and we don't even hesitate to help?" asked Anika with a disgruntled look on her face. "I can't just sit back here and just pretend these distress calls don't exist. It's just insane."

Langscroff sighed, before answering. "I don't like the fact that we haven't been sending more ships to defend the colonial planets in the SMC. But we've orders to follow."

"But you disobeyed orders once to save the colonists at Tairoa!"

"That was an exception. I was on a low priority patrol mission that didn't require me to stick around longer than necessary. I rescued those colonists with my flotilla because I knew that nothing else was at stake when I went left my patrol shift near Taiora. But not every battle or campaign allows you that opportunity. You cannot jeopardize the safety of your fellow men or the mission. Even if it was with good intentions. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, Uncle Langscroff," replied Anika with a forlorn look. "But I still don't like it."

"In time, I think you'll understand it better," said Langscroff with an encouraging smile. "Chin up Anika. Who knows, we might get another opportunity to help the colonists someday. Come on, you should be heading to the mess hall now. Dani is probably wondering why you're taking so long."

"Okay and thanks Uncle Langscroff," Anika replied with a more cheerful look on her face.

Langscroff shook his head in amusement as he watched his protege left the conference room.

_She's really got to stop calling me that_, he thought to himself.

* * *

**_Present Day: 21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3_ – Neu Balgray**

Inside Berger's quarters, Jonathan was gazing at the large painting on the wall which featured a tribute of the four Garmillas Apollo Norm carriers and their late namesakes: original _Balgray_, _Schderg_, and _Lambea_ of the Guipellon-class multi-deck carriers, the Gelvades-class _Darold_, and in the background, General Domel's flagship herself, the _Domelaze_ III. However, Jonathan wasn't there to admire some of the memorabilia of Garmillas' most legendary late military commander and the legacy that Berger had to inherit. Following the briefing, the commander of the task force had brought Jonathan to his quarters to discuss the matter of Anika's past.

"Huh, so there was another commander under Domel's command." Jonathan commented as he turned to face Berger who had poured a cup of tea for Jonathan.

"Originally yes, each of us had Meltorias as the flagship of our respective groups," replied Berger as he handed him the cup. "Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff was one of General Domel's most trusted and best officers who served under him. An honest and good man who cared deeply for his own men. I'm not surprised that Zalti girl was really close to him. Most of the junior officers who served under him or were taught by him at the academy really admired his leadership and were loyal to him. Domel himself stated he was an officer after his own heart."

"I see" muttered Jonathan as he sipped his tea. "I always thought there were only four elite commanders under Domel's command. If he is as good as you say, why haven't I heard of him? Is this something to do with the mission you were both assigned to?"

Berger sat down in his chair behind his desk, put down his cup on a nearby table and sighed regretfully.

"Look, before I can continue," he said quietly. "What I'm about to tell you is classified. This could not only just cost my career if word leaked out but also the entire Garmillas Military's reputation as whole. I need you to assure me that whatever is said in this room doesn't spread to anyone."

"Of course," replied Jonathan. "But why me?"

"It's because," Berger paused for a moment before continuing. "It's because I want to apologize to her for what I did, but I believe she won't accept it especially if it was from someone who helped to destroy her mentor's reputation and career. Considering that you're quite close to that girl-"

"You're asking me to apologize her on your behalf?" Jonathan finished.

"Yes..." Berger paused as he closed his eyes and tilted his head down in guilt. "I want to make this right, as what I did during that battle and in its aftermath is something I deeply regret."

Jonathan nodded faintly and asked Berger to proceed on with the story.

* * *

**_December 13th, 2198 – Paraná sector - Small Magellanic Cloud_**

On the edges between Gatlantean occupied territory and Garmillan space, the ships of 7th and 9th Strike Groups were roaming near a beautiful quasar. Each of the Strike Groups consisted of sixteen ships: One Meltoria-class battlecruiser that served as the flagship, two Destoria-class heavy cruisers, four Kelkapia-class strike cruisers, and ten Kripitera-class destroyers. Though this wasn't the biggest battle group assembled by the 6th Armored Division, it was powerful enough for the mission and small enough not to warrant any attention from the Gatlanteans should they suspect or discover their mission's objective. In addition to the main attack groups, there was also four smaller recon squads that each had one Kelkapia-class strike cruiser and one Kripitera-class destroyer, which served as scouts to seek for the elusive Gatlantean fleet they were ordered to destroy.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Blade of Altmark_, Langscroff was waiting for word from his scouts for any signs of the enemy fleet.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" piped the voice of Dani from the comms station. "Recon scouts of the 9A flotilla has reported no enemy ships in the Hanoli system."

"Acknowledge," responded Langscroff, before sighing to himself in mild frustration. "Just where is that Gatlantean fleet?"

"Hey Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff," asked Anika as she glanced at her mentor from her station. "Couldn't we ask for another strike group to assist us? We could really use some more help in the search."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible Private Welmer," replied Langscroff. "The 3rd Strike Group under Major Kraitz is preoccupied with attacking one of the rumored Gatlantean bases on a planet in the El Agheila Sector. Major Ghetto and the 4th Strike Group is scheduled to return to Tobruk after a three-month long combat sortie in the Bardia System. We're the only ones available for this operation."

Anika sighed despondently. "Fair enough."

"Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff," cried Dani from the comms console. "I'm picking up a distress call from one of the Garmillan Colonies!"

"Which one?" asked Langscroff.

"It's Corval sir," replied Dani. "Population at least twelve hundred."

Gasps and agonized groans could be heard throughout the bridge.

"Corval huh? That's pretty close to where we're now," said Langscroff quietly to himself, frowning in dismay before turning to his deputy officer. "Are there any other Garmillan task forces in range to assist them?"

"Negative sir," answered the deputy officer. "Aside from the 7th Strike Group, we're the only ones in range of helping them."

"Damn it!" muttered Anika in frustration. "If only we were free to help them! Both our strike groups could easily repel those invaders!"

"I guess it can't be helped," added one of the radar officers near Anika. "We can't afford to divert from our mission objective till we destroy our targets."

"Hold on a second!" exclaimed Dani. "I'm picking up another transmission. It's from Major Berger! One of his patrol vessels has found the Gatlantean fleet!"

A renewed spark of excitement was felt throughout the bridge's atmosphere as everyone looked at Dani in anticipation.

"Where!?" asked Langscroff.

"They're in the Garcia Nebula! The 7th Strike Squadron is jumping there now as we speak!"

Looking outside though the main bridge windows, Anika could see the multiple red flares of light in the distance as the ships of the 7th Strike Squadron pounced into light speed to attack their prey.

* * *

Exiting right above the enemy fleet in a purplish nebula, the sixteen vessels of 7th Strike Squadron dove down towards their unsuspecting enemy like a flock of eagles ready to snag their prey with their sharp talons.

At one of the radar consoles of the _Entschlosse Jäger_, Idun observed from her displays that there were at least twenty-eight vessels in the enemy fleet, which mostly consisted of Lascaux-class cruisers and Kukulkan-class destroyers, with a single Nasca-class carrier in the fleet. However, they were of little importance to her now as she searched for their number one target.

"I found it!" exclaimed Ingrid. "Modified Gaiderol, XAB-2201 found! Bearing 040! Right in the middle of that formation!"

"Excellent!" Berger grinned with satisfaction. "Tell our Kelkapia cruisers to target the ships guarding the Gaiderol. We'll have XAB-201 all to ourselves! Fire Positron beams and torpedoes!"

Just a few seconds before the weapons of the _Entschlosse Jäger_ were fired, Wilhelm got a good glimpse of their target. The turquoise battleship clearly had some design elements of a typical Gaiderol-class vessel. However, he doubted whether it was a member of the class of astro battleships as it had significant aesthetical differences to the point that he wondered whether it was an entirely new class of ship altogether. The sides of the hull had been given bladed-edged-like bulges with extra AA-guns mounted on the dorsal surface with a pair of long additional fins attached to them. But what stood out the most was the weird horn-like structures that resembled lamps which were attached to the bow of the vessel. Before he could wonder what purpose the vessel could have served, experimental battleship XAB-201 was struck by half a dozen torpedoes amidships and broke into two in a massive fireball, destroying the turquoise ship for good.

* * *

Back on the bridge of the _Blade of Altmark_, thoughts were divided as they were both concerned about the success of Berger's initial attack and the colonists' situation at Planet Corval.

"Lieutenant Colonel! The 7th Strike Group has confirmed that the priority target has been destroyed!" reported Dani from the comms.

"Acknowledged! Continue to update on both Berger's progress and the attack on Corval," replied Langscroff.

"Yes sir!"

Langscroff turned to his tactical officer. "What's the colony's defences on that planet?"

"At least fifteen ships plus a planetary based space fighter squadron."

"Fifteen ships," Langscroff said to himself thoughtfully. "Bigger than the usual defense flotillas but is it enough?"

Thinking it through, Langscroff knew that it wasn't. Against a possible raiding fleet of thirty Gatlantean ships, the ships and fighters based at Corval would barely last five minutes.

"Lieutenant Colonel, I'm picking up multiple distress calls from Corval," reported Dani with a grim expression. "It's the patrol vessels, they've been all wiped out! I'm broadcasting the colonial governor's distress call now."

As the transmission was broadcast on the loudspeakers of the bridge, static and explosions interrupted abruptly most of the words.

"_This is-Of the - Corval- All of our patrol ships and fighters have- destroyed. - Under heavy bombardment- Requesting for- support- Where's- rest- Need urgent- Gatlanteans are now targeting- Civilians!- My God they're gunning them down with their- Somebody!- Help- Is anyone list-_"

A loud explosion was heard just before the transmission cut abruptly, leaving only the constant static noise. A deafening silence filled the bridge as everyone looked to their superior officer wondering what next action he would take.

Langscroff was in dilemma, as much as he wanted to assist the colony of Corval, he had to follow the operation's plans to the letter as Berger might still need his support if things do go south. But having ignored so many distress calls from multiple planets previously, he couldn't bear to have another planet populated to be massacred under his watch.

"Sir? What're your orders?" asked the deputy officer. "Do we ignore them? Or do we stay and wait for Berger to give his signal?"

Anika looked at her commanding officer, wondering what his next course of action would be.

"Damn it!" Langscroff cursed under his breath, clenching his fists in anger. "These indiscriminate attacks can't go on like this!"

Langscroff turned to his junior comms officer. "Private Idele, could you ask Berger whether he really needs any support from our Strike Group? Do it fast too."

Anika's face lit up with a hopeful expectant look. "Lieutenant Colonel are you suggesting-"

"As long as Berger can handle the Gatlantean fleet at Garcia Nebula by himself, we'll head off to Corval," confirmed Langscroff with a firm look of determination. "I know we're technically breaking orders, but I cannot allow another colony to fall without anyone to defend them! Not anymore!"

"Lieutenant Colonel! I got Berger's answer!" Dani announced.

"And what did he say?" asked Langscroff.

"'No need for assistance'," replied Dani. "'_We've got the situation under control! It's just a walk in the park._' At least that's what he said."

"Yes!" exclaimed Anika triumphantly.

"Very well, I guess he's got that covered," said Langscroff. "Signal the rest of the 9th Strike Group to follow us into the Corval System. But be on guard, we still don't know what awaits us at Corval!"

"Aye sir!" replied the bridge crew.

As Langscroff watched his bridge crew get to work, he wondered whether if he was making the right choice in assisting the colonists at Planet Corval. Berger might have claimed that he had the enemy fleet right in his hands, but he was also known to exaggerate the truth. Either way, Langscroff knew that he couldn't just leave his fellow officer completely deprived of reinforcements.

"Private Idele," said Langscroff as he turned his attention to Dani. "Inform Berger that we're heading off to Corval to defend them from a Gatlantean attack. Tell him that our recon ships will be on standby to assist Major Berger's strike group. He may believe that he has the enemy fleet on the ropes, but just in case things do go south for him, he'll at least have some support from our recon vessels. Also notify our patrol ships regarding the matter and that they're under Berger's command from now on."

"Understood Sir!" replied Dani as she went about to contact their recon patrol units.

* * *

Back in the Garcia Nebula, the 7th Strike Group was busily cutting down Gatlantean ships one after another in their coordinated slash attacks of positron cannons and missiles. Out of the twenty-eight enemy ships in the enemy fleet, at least nineteen had been outright destroyed.

Berger's losses were relatively light, with only three of his Kripitera-class destroyers sunk or badly damaged. None of his cruisers had been put out of commission as only two of his Kelkapia-class strike cruisers were lightly damaged.

"Enemy forces have been reduced to nine ships!" reported Ingrid. "Five enemy destroyers, three cruisers, and one carrier are still intact!"

"Continue the assault and finish them all!" yelled Berger. "Let's clear this mob of green savages till they're wiped off from the face of the universe!"

"With pleasure sir!" Wilhelm gleefully replied. "Although I kind of feel sorry for the poor bastards. They aren't putting up much of a fight here."

"A bit too easy don't you think?" said Ingrid as a shadow of doubt came to her mind. "I expected more resistance."

"Major Berger!" cried the comms officer. "I've received a message from Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff."

"What is it?" asked Berger, with an annoyed expression his face. "I already told him we didn't need his help."

"About that, Langscroff and most of his Strike Group has diverted to Corval!"

Berger swung around in bewilderment. "What!? But why?"

"The planet's colony is under attack by another raiding Gatlantean force," answered the comms officer. "He decided to aid them while we finish mopping up the enemy fleet here. However, he has spared you his scout ships to assist you if necessary."

Before Berger could reply another alarm rang out from the radar and sensors consoles.

"Major Berger!" cried the senior radar officer. "I'm picking up multiple new contacts coming from deeper in the nebula!"

"How many?"

"At least two dozen!"

Berger's face becomes white as sheet as he saw on his viewscreen several Lascaux-class cruisers and Kukulkan-class destroyers emerged from the purple cloudy mist of the nebula and began firing at his ships.

"Take evasive action and return fire!" barked Berger as multiple green energy beams shot past his ship, narrowly missing the _Entschlosse Jäger_ and striking one of his escorting cruisers, blowing it to fragments.

As the Meltoria-class battle cruiser veered hard to starboard to bring most of her guns to bear on the new enemy fleet, Berger's tactical officer calls out the identification of the enemy task force.

"ID confirmed! It's one of the major Gatlantean expeditionary fleets, It's the Jamukha Clan!"

_Jamukha!?_ Berger's eyes widened in recognition at the name before burning with rage and malice. "They're here!" Berger muttered as he started to snicker before breaking up into loud laughter which startled the entire bridge crew.

"So you have come here to atone for your sins eh?" said Berger as he continued to laugh madly. "Fine! Fine by me! You'll pay dearly for what you did to me with your own lives! All ships stand your ground and kill them all!"

"But sir, we're outnumbered three to one!" protested his deputy commander.

"Then call the recon ships to help us! Even Langscroff's Strike Group if you have too!" snapped Berger. "I don't want a single Gatlantean ship to leave the nebula alive! Especially from the Jamukha fleet!"

"Yes sir," replied the deputy commander.

* * *

Above the planet of Corval, the situation that Langscroff's entire strike group was facing was equally grim. Upon entering the orbit of Corval, the 9th Strike Group faced an imposing Gatlantean fleet of over thirty ships. Luckily with a third of the Gatlantis forces being preoccupied with bombarding Corval's capital city, Monteigo, Langscroff's ships got the opportunity to strike the first blow before the enemy could react. The initial salvo of torpedoes and positron cannons took down and badly damaged twelve enemy ships, including the enemy fleet's sole Nasca-class carrier. But even with a third of the enemy fleet smashed, the Gatlantean ships were putting up a serious fight, especially since most of the enemy vessels that previously were bombarding the planet had now re-joined with the rest of the main enemy fleet. Within ten minutes of heavy fighting between Garmillan and Gatlantean ships, One Destoria, two Kelkapias, and two Kripiteras were lost.

"Migobueza Coating down to seventy-percent!" cried the engineer officer as another hit struck the _Blade of Altmark_'s port wing.

"Damn, I didn't expect the enemy fleet to be this strong," muttered Langscroff to himself. "But we can't pull back now, not when Corval is still under assault."

Another hit near the bridge caused a few consoles inside to explode, one of which killed the senior navigator. As his body dropped to the floor next to Anika, the young Zalti girl was left horrified and froze in shock.

"Sir, incoming Lascaux-class cruiser from our starboard bow!" cried the radar officer.

"Private Welmer! Take the helm!" yelled Langscroff. "Get us moving now!"

Anika quickly snapped out of her stupor and slid into the helmsman seat and began piloting the damaged _Blade of Altmark_. Despite having her nerves rattled, Anika steadied herself as she wiped off the sweat from her brow and concentrated on dodging the incoming fire from the Gatlantean cruiser.

"Private Welmer, bring us about and move us to attack the enemy cruiser!" ordered Langscroff before he turned to his weapons officer. "Lieutenant Weiss, hit it with a barrage of torpedoes followed by a volley of our main guns!"

"Aye sir!" replied both the weapons officer and Anika.

"Fire!" yelled Langscroff.

The _Blade of Altmark_ let loose four of her torpedoes at the Lascaux which prompted the enemy ship to fire her impulse canons at the incoming warheads to intercept before they could strike it. Two torpedoes were successfully destroyed, but two struck home at the bow of the enemy cruiser and tore the vessel apart. As the _Blade of Altmark_ cleared the explosion, a Kukulkan-class destroyer was waiting in front of the Meltoria, angrily lashing away with its guns to avenge its comrade.

Instinctively, Anika dove the _Blade of Atlmark_, narrowly avoiding the green beams from the Gatlantean destroyer and did a half barrel-roll to port.

"Lieutenant Weiss!" Anika yelled to the weapons officer.

"Yeah, I see it!" cried Weiss as he rotated the main guns of the _Blade of Atlmark_ to starboard just a few seconds before the Meltoria-class battlecruiser passed underneath the Gatlantean destroyer.

"Fire!"

The three positron turrets fired a broadside of red beams which sliced though the entire length of the Kukulkan's keel and tore the vessel into half. As the Gatlantean destroyer exploded in the _Blade of Atlmark_'s wake, Anika brought the vessel into an even level flight path and steered it to starboard in search for more targets.

"Nice reflexes Miss Welmer," commended Weiss.

"You too," replied Anika as she sighed in relief. "But we're still not out of this yet!"

As the battle continued to rage on, the Gatlantean side appeared to crumble as the Garmillan ships were able to score more kills then their opponents were able to in return. But despite this, the damage toll on the Garmillan vessels was soon becoming apparent.

"We just lost another destroyer," reported the tactical officer grimly. "At this rate, we'll lose half of all our ships!"

"Lieutenant Colonel," reported the radar officer. "The Gatlantean fleet is breaking into disarray, however there is one ship still attacking the colony's capital city!"

Putting up a visual on the display screen, the bridge crew watched in utter horror as a single Lascaux-class cruiser was raining green fire over the burning ruins of the city. Garmillan men, women, and children were fleeing in all directions as the green bolts struck buildings and streets, throwing up debris and shrapnel which cut down those that hadn't been killed from the direct impacts of the blasts.

"Those butchers…" mumbled Anika in shock.

Langscroff clenched his jaw in frustration.

"Private Welmer, take us down to the planet's surface," ordered Langscroff. "We're going to draw that cruiser away from the colony."

"Yes sir!" replied Anika with a grim determination on her face as she brought the Meltoria-class battle cruiser down to the upper atmosphere of the planet.

"Private Idele," instructed Langscroff as the _Blade of Atlmark_ began to enter the atmosphere of Corval. "Contact the 7th Strike Squadron. See whether Berger can lend a few of his ships to assist us in clearing out the enemy ships left above in orbit!"

"I'll try!" nodded Dani. "But I'm not sure if he's done mopping up the remaining enemies at Gracia Nebula."

"He better be," said Anika desperately. "Because I'm not sure how long we could hold this fight!"

Minutes after the _Blade of Atlmark_ had entered the lower atmosphere, the Meltoria-class battlecruiser found itself flying over the battered buildings of Monteigo and began firing some shots at the Lascaux-class cruiser, all of which narrowly missed on purpose as Langscroff had instructed Weiss not to destroy the ship when it's directly above the city to prevent it from crashing down on the civilians below. Sure enough, the Lascaux-class cruiser broke off from its attack and tried to flee from the _Blade of Atlmark_, resulting in the civilians down below cheering at their saviors.

Once the Gatlantean cruiser had cleared the outskirts of Monteigo, Langscroff ordered Weiss to destroy the target. A well aimed salvo of positron beams struck the engines of the Lascaux, causing it to lose altitude rapidly and crashed on the ground before exploding in a massive fireball.

"Good job Weiss!" said Langscroff.

"Thank you, Sir!" replied Weiss with a smile on his face.

"Private Welmer, bring us up to rejoin the rest of our ships," ordered Langscroff.

"Aye sir," replied Anika as she exhaled a deep breath of relief.

_Where in Iscandar's holy name is Ingrid, Wihelm, and the rest of the 7th Strike Group?_ Thought Anika worryingly. _We need them here_!

* * *

On the battered bridge of the _Entschlosse Jäger_, Berger watched in frustration at the few remaining Gatlantean ships escaped out of the Garcia Nebula while the rest of his bridge crew were working on assessing damage to the ship and tending to the wounded, one of which included a desperate Ingrid who was attending to an unconscious Wihelm, who was badly injured after his weapons console exploded.

Somehow, despite the overwhelming odds, the 7th Strike Squadron had survived the intense battle with the newly arrived Jamukha fleet and managed to put up such a strong fight that the Gatlanteans were forced to flee from the scene, destroying eighteen enemy ships in the process. The losses to Berger's fleet and the additional patrol vessels detached from Langscroff's strike group were mercifully lesser than expected as only seven Garmillan ships were destroyed. However, half of the eight surviving vessels were considerably damaged, including the _Entschlosse Jäger_. But to Berger, the outcome of the battle was still highly unsatisfactory as he failed to achieve the goal of completely wiping out both the initial Gatlantean fleet and his hated enemy, the Jamukha fleet.

_No! No! They can't get away! I was so close to destroying the Jamukha fleet!_ Berger lividly thought as reached out his right hand at the viewscreen as if to crush the last Gatlantean ship with his bare hands. The final Gatlantean ship effortlessly warped out of the battle zone and left Berger in denial and in a fit of pure rage.

"After them! Identify their jump coordinates immediately!" yelled Berger frantically. "We must pursue them!"

"We can't sir," replied his deputy commander. "Our ship and the rest of our escorts are in no shape to mount a pursuit of the enemy forces!"

"But they're getting away!" protested Berger.

"MAJOR! We cannot risk having any more casualties!" barked his deputy commander. "We're down to half of our ships, three of which have had their Geschtam engines crippled! There's no way we could mount a pursuit or fight another battle with the Gatlantean ships! It's suicide!"

"But the Jamukha fleet-"

"They can wait!" finished the deputy commander. "You already gave them a bloody nose! Our objective was the destruction of the Gatlantean fleet and the experimental ship they captured! Not the ships of the Jamukha fleet!"

"UGH! Curses!" muttered Berger as he slammed his fist on a nearby pillar, realizing that his deputy commander was right.

_If only Langscroff had stayed at his post and awaited my signal, I could have easily destroyed both enemy fleets and finally avenge-_

"Major Berger," muttered his comms officer. "There's a priority message from the 9th Strike Squadron. Although it's nearly ten minutes late."

"Speak of the devil," spat Berger bitterly. "What is it? Is he finally available to assist us in chasing the remnants of the Gatlantean ships?"

"No sir," stammered the comms officer. "He's… Erm… R-r-e- Requesting if you're able to send some of our ships to assist them against the Gatlantean ships above Corval."

_Are you serious!?_ Ingrid thought to herself with fury, deeply angered by this turn of events that was caused by her former mentor, especially since Wilhelm was injured in the battle and possibly dying.

If Berger was already purple with rage, he now looked like a red volcano ready to explode.

"Langscroff, you'll pay dearly for this!" roared Berger. "Comms!"

"Yes sir!?" squeaked the comms officer.

"Contact HQ at Tobruk! We're going to report this entire fiasco to General Domel and the rest of his staff and place the blame on Langscroff for his utter insubordination!"

"At once sir!" replied the comms officer who quickly turned away to ignore his enraged superior.

_You crossed the line Langscroff!_ Berger fumed as he stared out into the purple mist of the Garcia Nebula where the wreckage and debris of both his ships and the Gatlanteans' rested. _You denied me the one opportunity to avenge the death of my sweet Melia. That is a crime I can never forgive! I hope you're ready for consequences of your actions! I'll make sure you will personally suffer for this!_

* * *

A/N: _Hey guys, hope you enjoy this first flashback chapter of Star Blazers Audacious. I got to say, writing flashbacks was way more difficult than I anticipated as it's practically writing another story altogether with new characters.  
If you're disappointed and wondering why General Domel hasn't appeared in these flashback scenes, I omitted him out because this was written from the lower ranks' perspective of the 6th Armored Division rather than from the higher ranking officers as they wouldn't get much of a chance to see him face to face. It wouldn't really make sense story-wise to feature him here. _

_Like General Domel, Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff is named after a prominent officer who fought in WWII Germany who was a chivalrous and honorable man who fought in the wrong side of the war. Those who are familiar of the legendary German Armored Cruiser _Admiral Graf Spee _will probably recognize who this character was based off...  
_

_Also for those who might be confused regarding the ranks of the Garmillan officers and enlisted men, they're based upon the German ARMY Ranking System in World War II. So they're not the same compared to those of the UNCF/Cosmo Navy which is mostly based off the typical Ranking System in most navies. _

_Anyway, that's part one of two of this flashback story, so be sure to check out the second part that will come in a week's time to find out what happens next! Until next time, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one!_

_OOPS__! I forgot to mention one more thing! Stay at home and be safe from Coronavirius! _


	16. The Fateful Choices of Yesterday II

**Chapter 16 - ****The Fateful Choices of Yesterday II**

_**December 15th 2198 – Planet Corval – Montiego City Plaza**_

Two days after the attack on Corval, Anika found herself helping at a makeshift emergency relief center distributing medical supplies for the survivors that were being brought in from the devastating attack on the colony's capital.

"Private Welmer, I need more first-aid kits for one of the tents!" a voice cried out.

"I'm on it!" replied Anika as she grabbed five more cases and tried to carry them all to another Garmillan officer with a hover trolley who looked worn out and in desperate need of sleep.

"Here you go!" gasped Anika as she piled all the first-aid kits on the trolley.

"Thank you miss," replied the officer. "Honestly with all these survivors pouring in, we're going to run out of medical supplies at this rate."

"Yeah, we could really use some more help here," sighed Anika as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, exhausted from working nearly seven hours tending to the wounded survivors. "Hope this will be enough for them."

The Garmillan officer nodded before promptly leaving the tents.

Anika herself also decided to leave the cover of one of the tents and went out to see hundreds of Garmillan civilians both pure-blooded and second-class citizens crowding all around the plaza.

After the 9th Strike Group had succeeded in repelling the enemy Gatlantis Fleet from Corval, Langscroff had ordered four ships of their fleet, including his own, to land near the city of Monteigo and disembarked members of their crews to assist in the search and rescue efforts of the survivors in the ruined metropolis for the past thirty-five hours.

The situation proved to be difficult as nearly half of the city had been reduced to rubble from the intense bombardment. Several SDG61-L transport boats were deployed to airlift some of the casualties to the few hospitals that weren't destroyed or makeshift emergency shelters like the one that Anika was working with. Miraculously, despite the devastation that was brought upon the city, the death toll was not as high as expected as nearly more than seven hundred colonists were confirmed to have survived the attack.

As the young Zalti private watched more survivors poured into the makeshift center, she soon noticed that Dani was resting next to a pole of a tent nearby and decided to join her.

"Hey Dani, how are you doing?" Anika asked as she sat beside the Alterian.

"Tired," mumbled Dani. "I practically spent all night helping the rescue teams excavate survivors buried in the collapsed town council building."

"How many did you save?"

"Thirty at least," Dani muttered. "It wasn't easy as some of the debris was unstable, we had to dig alternate tunnels with improvised metal struts as supports so the debris wouldn't crush the pockets of air they were trapped in."

"Huh, and I thought I had all the stressful work in helping the wounded in the relief centers," commented Anika.

Just then, both of them heard the wails of a kid. Anika looked to the right and saw a Garmillan boy, possibly six or five years old, all alone and crying. Getting up to her feet, Anika went over to the boy to check on him.

"Hello! Are you okay? Where are your parents?" asked Anika gently, bending down to look at the sobbing kid.

"N-n-no…" whimpered the boy. "I c-can't find them… Everyone was running and screaming when the evil green white ships attacked… I tried holding on to papa but-"

The little Garmillan boy almost bursts into tears again.

"Hey… it's ok," Anika said soothingly as she gave a hug to comfort the devastated boy. "You've been through a lot. Don't lose hope. For all you know, your parents might be still alive."

"Really?" asked the boy as he sniffed.

"Well, we won't know if we don't try looking for them," said Anika. "How about we start searching for them now?"

The little boy nodded his head.

"Come on let's go," chipped Anika as she led the boy into the crowded city plaza. Behind the two, Dani smiled slightly at her friend's kindness and tagged along with other two.

* * *

"So, what's your name little one?" asked Anika.

"Marco…"

"Marco? That's a nice name," the Zalti girl replied. "Mine's Anika. And right there is my friend Dani."

Dani sheepishly waved at Marco look looked at her curiously.

"Hey, why does your friend have face paint?" asked Marco.

"Face paint?" Anika was puzzled at Marco's suggestion.

"Yeah, she's got those triangles on her cheeks," said Marco.

Anika giggled while Dani turned her face away feeling embarrassed about her native heritage.

"My dear, that isn't face paint," Anika chuckled. "She was actually born with it. It's kind of like a birth mark that makes her special from the rest of her kind."

"Really?!" replied Marco as his eyes widen with awe. "Is that true Miss Dani?"

"Erm, yes, it is," replied Dani meekly.

"Wow! That's cool Miss Dani!" said Marco enthusiastically. "I like it!"

Dani's cheeks went red from Marco's compliment and smiled. "Thank you…"

"Marco! Marco!"

A woman's voice cried out frantically. Anika spun around and saw the Garmillan boy's parents shoving their way through the crowd with tears running down their face. Marco's face suddenly brightened with joy as he let go of Anika's hand and ran to his parents who embraced him tightly. Much to Anika's relief, both seem to be mostly unharmed despite being covered with dust and dirt.

The Zalti girl also nearly welled up in tears as she watched Marco's crying mom sweep up her son into her arms and hugged him. The father soon took noticed of both and Dani and approached them both.

"So, you two are the ones who found my son?" he asked.

"Erm, yes…" replied Anika meekly.

"Thank you so much!" said Marco's father with a big grateful smile. "We had almost given up hope as we had been looking for him for nearly two days! Really, thank you!"

"You're welcome," replied Anika. "I'm glad we could help!"

"Erm, do you need medical attention?" asked Dani nervously. "You and your wife seem rather battered?"

"Oh me and Frida? We're both good. Just a few scratches but we're alright. Honestly, if you guys from those ships hadn't come, we wouldn't have made it."

"Good to know we came in time," Anika agreed. "We're just doing our job."

"Leon!" called Marco's mother. "We're going now!"

"Coming Frida, just a second!" replied Marco's father before giving an apolegtic look towards the two young Garmillan privates. "Sorry, I got to go. Just one quick question: When are you going relocate all the civilians away from Corval?"

"I don't know to be honest," answered Anika truthfully. "But rest assured, we'll get you all back to secured Garmillan space as soon as possible."

"Good because honestly, it isn't safe staying the SMC," said Marco's father. "With all the attacks here in this dwarf galaxy, we would feel better living back in the LMC and closer to the mother planet."

"I agree," replied Dani. "Perhaps it's for the best that all civilians should be evacuated from the colonial planets here."

"Indeed, Well I got to take my leave, Gharle Garmilon and thank you so much!" said Marco's father as he walked back to his family.

Before the happy trio left, Marco turned around and waved good bye to both Anika and Dani who also returned him the favor.

* * *

As the evening sun cast its orange light on the ruined city of Monteigo, Anika and Dani were walking back to their ship for a well-deserved rest after helping to attend to the displaced civilians of Corval for nearly fifteen straight hours.

"Ahh, I'm exhausted," yawned Anika. "I hope I can get a nice long sleep for the rest of the week."

"Same here," Dani nodded in agreement. "I'm wondering what's taking so long for Garmillan reinforcements to come. We could really use all the help we need here. Although, to be frankly honest, I'm okay if I could continue to stay and help these people..."

Anika glanced at the Alterian girl's face and saw that for the first time, Dani was actually smiling with contentment.

"What?" asked Dani who noticed her friend was staring at her.

"Nothing," replied Anika. "It's just that this is the first time I seen you this happy before."

"Yeah, I guess I am," replied Dani with a grateful smile. "Usually when I get around pure-blooded Garmillans, they usually treat me with contempt and disdain for my second-class status. But for these past two days, it's been the complete opposite. Everyone is just grateful that I'm here to help even though I'm an Alterian."

"Well when someone's been through a hellish experience, I think they would welcome anyone who would come to rescue them," said Anika. "Regardless of their background or heritage."

"Huh, I guess you're right. But does that mean they'll forget what I did in the future and things will revert back to normal?" replied Dani with a look of concern,

Realizing Dani had slipped back into her pessimistic self, Anika decided to cheer her up. "Relax Dani, after what happened two days ago, I believe they would be internally grateful for what you did and probably see the rest of your race in a different light. They'll certainly remember what you did. You can count on it."

"Thanks Anika," Dani smiled gratefully. "Right now, I just hope these precious moments wouldn't end."

Suddenly there was a loud sonic boom which prompted Anika and Dani to look into the sky. Several ventral silhouettes of a dozen ships were descending from the upper atmosphere. To the relief of both girls, they were Garmillan ships.

"Finally!" cried Anika in elation. "About time reinforcements showed up! What took them so long?"

As the two watched the vessels descend closer to the city, they both noticed that a green Gelvades-class battle carrier was among the flotilla.

"I didn't know the 6th Armored Division had a battle carrier," remarked Dani.

"No they don't," replied Anika, frowning as an uncomfortable feeling came over her. "If I'm not mistaken, that's a ship from the Military Police fleet."

"The MP?" exclaimed Dani in surprise. "What're they doing here?"

"Beats me, but whatever it is I don't think they're here for humanitarian support."

As the two privates watched, they saw a SDG61-L transport boat taking off from the Gelvades' flight deck, being escorted by two flanking green Czvarke fighters. The three aircraft made a straight beeline towards one of the 9th Strike Group's ships that was currently moored to the ground: _The Blade of Atlmark_ herself.

Anika and Dani looked at each other with concern and quickly ran towards their ship, wondering what was going on.

When they arrived at the landing zone, to their shock and horror, they caught glimpse of Langscroff being escorted out of his ship with a pair of Garmillan security officers in handcuffs.

"Uncle Langscroff!" Anika yelled as she ran towards her captain with Dani following behind her. But before both young privates could reach him, they were immediately blocked and withheld by several guards of the MP.

"What's going on?" asked Anika as she tried to break their grip of their hands. "Why are you arresting Major Langscroff? Let me though!"

A tall and lean Garmillan officer step forward towards Anika with a cold expression. "Major Langscroff is charged with insubordination and violation of mission objectives. He is thereby temporarily relieved of his duty as commanding officer of 9th Strike Group and will be detained at Tobruk for a court martial."

All the color drained from Anika's face as what had to be one of her best days in her career had just became one of her worse.

* * *

_**Present Day: 21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3 – **_**Neu Balgray**

Inside the cold and isolated brig, Anika awoke from her slumber on the bed to see a guard outside the door who was calling for her.

"Lieutenant Commander! Lieutenant Commander Welmer! You have a visitor!"

Anika sat up from her bed, expecting to see Jonathan. But to her surprise, saw Otto instead outside the barred doors that separated the two. Nevertheless, Anika was still grateful for her subordinate to come and visit her.

"Hello Geiszler," said Anika with a weak smile.

"Lieutenant Commander," Otto smiled in return politely. "Sorry that I didn't come to visit you earlier. I was busy with handling the transfer of survivors of our crew from the _Audacious_ to the _Neu Balgray_."

"That's okay Otto," replied Anika. "You had to do your duty first. I trust you carried out the procedure well?"

"Eh, I think I could have done better" Otto admitted. "I hadn't handled a large group of Garmillans before, so it was quite hectic. Major Brandt berated at me for my lack of decisiveness in handling the operation."

"Huh, I'm sorry about that," said Anika sadly. "I should have been there to help you out as you don't usually work well with strict officers."

"No it's okay Lieutenant Commander," replied Otto with a forced smile. "I'm sort of used to this treatment."

"I guess so," said Anika. "How's the crew by the way?"

"They're fine," Otto answered. "In fact some of those that were critically wounded have stabilized thanks to the medical care from the _Audacious_. The doctors of the _Neu Balgray_ even said that they won't have to spend that long in their own medical bay."

"Thank goodness," Anika smiled with relief. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll have to thank the _Audacious_' chief medical officer later when I get the chance."

"However," added Otto. "Some members from our sunken ship were surprised that you weren't present for the transfer. Engineer Junack was shocked when Brandt and I told him what happened after he questioned us."

"In a good or bad way?" asked Anika nervously.

"Suffice to say," replied Otto uneasily. "I guess both? He couldn't believe that you would lash out that angrily considering how polite you usually are to senior officers that are just as offensive as Brandt. He tried to argue that it was a mistake but realized it was true after Brandt told him of all the facts in detail. He was quite disappointed of you once he accepted the truth."

"Yeah, I guess he would be," said Anika shamefully. "I shouldn't have become so vocal about my opinions about Colonel Berger. Despite what he did."

"Do you really hate him that much?" asked Otto.

Anika grimaced, as she anticipated that Otto would ask him that question.

"Oh… Erm… I'm sorry for asking," apologized Otto quickly after seeing Anika's reaction. "I know it is a sensitive topic, It's just that I got curious… And I…"

"Otto, calm down. It's fine," Anika reassured her panicking sub lieutenant. "Besides I figured you would ask that after my outburst today. To answer your question: Yes, I do hate him. He betrayed the ideals that a Garmillan officer should have stood for. He's reckless, a glory hunter, gets all the medals and citations that others should have deserved more. Doesn't care about the welfare of his own officers and men when he plunges into danger and has an appalling lack of situational awareness-"

"Whoa whoa!" exclaimed Otto cutting Anika's rant short. "That's a rather long list of accusations you're throwing! I know that Berger has a reputation of being aggressive in combat, but I don't think he's that reckless and uncaring."

"You weren't there Otto," replied Anika. "I saw how he acts and behaves in front of his fellow officers and his own men. Especially, after he made a crucial mistake."

"You mean the Battles of Corval and the Garcia Nebula?" asked Otto.

"Yes…" answered Anika quietly. "Have you ever heard about it?"

"I just looked it up recently," Otto replied. "Some of the details were classified and redacted. All I know is that a deep strike mission didn't go as planned after your strike group diverted to save a large Garmillas colony that was being attacked. Saved nearly eight hundred civilians from Gatlantis but then the CO gets punished for violation of mission objectives and later was relieved of his command. I read that Berger himself led the main strike group and apparently he was very pissed about the incident and placed the blame on Langscroff."

"Well yeah, that's the gist of what happened back then," said Anika. "Back then, Gatlantis was attacking multiple colonies in the SMC. Uncle- I mean Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff had repeatedly requested for some of our ships to be diverted to support the defence of the remaining colonial worlds. He and some of the lower rank officers argued that we should be protecting the colonies as it was our duty to protect those in the empire that can't defend themselves. But the other members of Domel's command staff refused to approve it, Berger himself included."

Anika's expression hardens with bitterness as she recalled that argument with Berger after the briefing. "I can still remember him coldly saying that diverting ships to defend those colonies was futile and that it was more important to kill more Gatlanteans than saving Garmillan lives."

"Was that the reason you hate him?"

"No! That wasn't it!" exclaimed Anika angrily which caused Otto to flinch back.

Realizing she scared the younger officer, Anika calmed herself down and continued. "It was after we finally got back to Tobruk. During Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff's tribunal, Berger flat out lied about the details regarding the Battles of the Garcia Nebula and Corval. That scarred face bastard claimed that we went to Corval without informing him beforehand."

"Did you?"

"Of course not!" said Anika. "One of my friends personally sent that call to Berger asking whether he needed our further assistance in helping to destroy the rest of the Gatlantean fleet! And he said he had the situation under control! We even left our recon ships to help him just in case things really went south for his strike group! It's not like we completely abandoned him!"

"But Langscroff did leave his post," said Otto. "Whether or not he did leave a few ships for Berger to use or did it with the best intentions. He still disobeyed his orders."

Anika sighed and looked slightly down, knowing that Otto was right. "I know… But either way, that arrogant Berger shouldn't have twisted the truth. Nor should the rest of his bridge staff backed up his false claims when they were called to testify. Aside from…"

Anika stopped in mid-sentence as she remembered that there was one person from Berger's old bridge staff that did tell the truth. Someone whose trust she broke.

"Aside from who?" asked Otto curiously.

Anika kept silent for a while before finally answering. "One who knew what was decently right and was brave enough to tell the truth."

"Huh, must have been one brave Garmillan to pull that off." Commented Otto. "Exposing his or her superior's false accusations so publicly."

"Yes, she was…" agreed Anika quietly.

"So, what happened to Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff in the end?"

Anika didn't answer and turned away from Otto to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Miss Welmer?" asked Otto anxiously. "You're okay?"

Anika couldn't hear him as her mind had started to drift away…

* * *

_**December 21st 2198 – Outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud – Planet Tobruk**_

"Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff, and both defense and prosecution attorneys, please rise," announced the judge.

Inside the court room, Anika and Dani watched their commander stand up along with his defense attorney.

"Do you think the verdict will be 'not guilty'?" asked Dani.

"It has to be!" replied Anika desperately. "After Ingrid exposed Berger's slanders, he has to be cleared of the charges! At least two of them!"

"The three charges and specifications against Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff are: insubordination for disobeying orders, violation of mission objectives for leaving his post; and misuse of naval assets for an unsanctioned rescue mission which endangered the lives of his allied forces," said the judge before turning to focus his attention on Langscroff himself.

"Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff, how do you plea?"

Everyone from both the audience and the entire tribunal looked at Langscroff, wondering what response he would give.

"Guilty, on both the second and third charges," Langscroff answered.

Anika was stunned, having not anticipated that Langscroff wouldn't even defend himself.

"Very well," replied the judge curtly before moving forward to announce the verdict. "This tribunal finds Lieutenant Colonel Hanz Langscroff guilty on the charges of both violation of mission objectives and misuse of naval assets for an unsanctioned mission. As such, he will be removed as CO of the 9th Strike Group and reassigned to the sentry base of planet Aires, demoted to the rank of Captain. Court dismissed!"

In response to the verdict and punishment, the reaction from the audience was mixed. Berger was dissatisfied with the result, despite Langscroff being declared guilty, he was hoping for a more severe punishment. He turned to glare at Ingrid, who sat a distance from her CO and was also glaring back at him with disgust. Anika on the other hand was crushed by the verdict. Planet Aires was one of the most distant border patrol stations that was in close vicinity to Gatlantean occupied territory in the SMC. For her ex-Lieutenant Colonel to be posted there, it was virtually a death sentence considering the base's inadequate defenses and ships posted in the region.

"No…" Anika muttered with anguish as the crowd began to disperse and leave their seats. "This cannot be happening… We were trying to do the right thing, and this is what we get?"

"Come on Anika," said Dani who was also disappointed with the verdict. "There's nothing we can do now… Let's go."

Anika nodded as Dani help her out of her seat and began walking to the exit of the door. As they walked through the corridors, they began to notice that almost every sergeant and private from both Berger's 7th Strike Squadron and even those from the 9th Strike Group they encountered were throwing menacing looks at them both or avoiding them entirely. Unnerved by the hostile atmosphere, the two girls hurried back to their bunks.

* * *

Later that evening, Anika and Dani were moping around at the table in their room when both saw Ingrid at their doorway. The young Zalti girl stood up and tried to talk to her, hoping to thank Ingrid for stand up for Langscroff and exposing Berger's slander.

"Ingrid I-"

But before Anika could finish, Idun cut her off by punching Anika in the face which threw the stunned Zalti private to the floor.

"Anika!" cried Dani as she rushed to her friend before glaring back at Ingrid. "What was that for!?"

"You soft-hearted fools!" yelled Ingrid angrily. "Do you have an idea how much trouble you caused when you went AWOL?"

"Obviously not!" Dani snapped back while giving a dirty look back at Idun. "After your commanding officer signaled to us that he didn't need any support and had the situation under control, Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff made the call to aid the colony of Corval! Especially since you already destroyed the primary target!"

"Even then he shouldn't have done it!" argued Ingrid. "You had strict orders to stay at your post till we called you over to assist. Besides you both know that Major Berger is known to exaggerate his performance in battle! You had no right to go off on your own to do some unnecessary heroics to save one colonial planet!"

"We still had too," replied Anika softly, as she wiped off the blood from her mouth. "We couldn't leave another colony to die under the sword of Gatlantis. Too many have fallen under the hands of those green butchers."

"Anika, when are you going to learn that completing the objective always comes first?" Ingrid sighed in exasperation. "You guys could have finished helping us before going to defend Corval."

"But Idun, by the time we would have finished the enemy fleet at the Garcia Nebula, Corval would have been destroyed!" Anika protested. "Eight hundred more lives could have been lost!"

"Even then, they're not worthy enough to be saved!" Ingrid snapped back.

Not worthy enough to be saved? Anika was deeply stung by Idun's words. She believed that the most important duty of a solider of Garmillas Military was to protect and defend the civilians of the empire. For Anika to hear her friend to say that civilian lives were not worthy of being protected from harm's way was outright disgraceful and dishonourable.

"How could you say that?" muttered Anika through clenched teeth. "You weren't there! There were hundreds of Garmillans who had their homes reduced to rubble. Some of them were trapped for days underneath the debris with little hope of getting out alive! Families who were separated from each other with no guarantee whether their loved ones were still alive or not! Honest and good people who had little hope of being rescued or saved! I had to help a traumatized young kid look for his parents even though the chances of finding them alive and well were nought! Even though I managed to find them, what about the other children who weren't so lucky? And what about the parents who lost their children? Young Garmillan lives who could have lived long and prosperous lives and didn't deserve to be cut short!? Who are you to say that they weren't worthy to be saved at all!? Do you have any idea how helpless they all felt when they were attacked by Gatlantis with no one coming to save them? Before we came, they had already lost hope that the Garmillas military could protect them! We failed our moral obligation to protect our own!"

Idun grimaced at Anika's outburst but remained resolute in her stance.

"It's war Anika, you don't get to decide who lives or die! Cruel as it is, there are times you need to sacrifice a few pieces to achieve victory over the enemy."

"A few pieces!?" yelled Anika. "We just saved eight hundred civilian lives! We could have saved the entire colony if we had intervened earlier!"

"And we had almost the same number of casualties from both our strike forces! I hardly call that a fair trade especially considering our mission's objective!" Ingrid retorted. "Why do you think Wilheim hasn't shown up recently?"

Anika stopped; she hadn't noticed the absence of Wilhelm.

"Wait," asked Dani. "Wilhelm is-"

"No… he isn't" replied Ingrid as she bowed her head and fought the urge to tear up. "At least I hope he won't be. Wilhelm was badly burnt after his weapons console exploded in the heat of battle. He's in critical condition and the doctors aren't sure he's going to make it."

"Ingrid, I'm sorry, "stammered Anika. "I didn't-"

"Shut it Anika!" spat Ingrid bitterly. "I won't have your condolences or your gratitude for defending our teacher from Berger's unjustified slander! If you had kept your mouth shut about how important protecting the colonists' lives were, maybe Langscroff wouldn't have gotten us into this entire mess!"

"B-b-but still-"Anika tried to defend herself but Ingrid shut her off.

"But what exactly? You say that the colonists' lives are in constant danger and needed your help, but what about me and Wilhelm? We were both fighting for our very lives when the enemy reinforcements poured out of the nebula! We trusted and needed you to come and help us and you failed! Did it ever occurred to you how much danger you placed us both in!?"

Anika bent her head down in guilt.

"No…"

"Exactly!" replied Ingrid angrily. "You failed in your 'moral obligation to protect your own' all right, you're willing to save some civilians who you barely even know at the expense of your own friends' lives! That's something I can never accept! Consider our friendship done!"

With that Idun turned away and began to leave the room leaving both Anika and Dani stunned and remorseful over what their friend just said.

"If Wilhelm fails to pull through this-" Ingrid paused, as a tear slipped from her eye. Not wanting to finish her words, she walked out of the room before her former companions could say another word.

Anika staggered back and nearly collapsed on her bed. Numb with shock and guilt over what Ingrid had said.

_Was I really to blame for this entire mess? Am I responsible for the deaths of all those men aboard both Berger's and Langscroff's ships that perished in the recent battles? _She thought to herself as a frightening dose of reality came to her. _But all I wanted was to help… I just wanted to do what was right and-_

Anika's eyes began to tear up. _And yet… And yet…_

"_Lieutenant Commander Welmer?_" said a faint voice. "_Lieutenant Commander Welmer? Anika!?_"

* * *

_**Present Day: 21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3 – **_**Neu Balgray**

Anika snapped out of her trance and found herself back in the brig of the _Neu Balgray._

"Huh? What…?" mumbled Anika she looked to right and saw Otto looking at her in concern.

"You drifted off for quite a while," said Otto. "Are you alright Miss Welmer? You were mumbling quite a bit. Is it anything to do with the question I just asked?"

Anika squirmed in embarrassment, worried that she accidentally mentioned details with the breakdown she had with her old friend Ingrid.

"H-h-how…" she stammered meekly. "Much did you hear from it?"

"Very little to be honest," admitted Otto. "It was almost like very vague sleep talking. I couldn't tell what you were saying."

Anika sighed in relief, grateful that Otto hadn't peeked into her old wounds.

"Sorry about that," mumbled Anika. "I was just…"

Anika paused, as she didn't want to share details about her breakup of her friendship with Ingrid. "Just reflecting on the past…" she finished quietly.

"I thought so," replied Otto quietly. "Look, considering it's a very sensitive topic for you. I won't ask anymore. If there's anything I can do, I'll try to help."

Anika nodded in reply. "Thanks Otto…"

As Otto turned to leave, Anika glanced back to her young subordinate and friend to ask a question.

"Hey, where's Jonathan by the way?"

"Commander Lee?" replied Otto. "Oh, he's with Berger now in the latter's quarters."

"What!?" exclaimed Anika, with panic now rising in her voice. "He's with him!? Of all people!?"

"Well Colonel Berger approached him after the debriefing concluded," said Otto uneasily. "He wanted to discuss something with Commander Lee."

"He can't be trusted!" protested Anika. "Not after what he-"

"Anika!" shouted Otto, trying to calm down his superior officer. "I know you have a grudge against Berger. But what ever happened back then was almost four years ago. I'm sure he's different to how he was back then. Besides, I think you should be less harsh on him. He could have been also been affected about what happened."

Anika sighed and reluctantly gave in. "I hope so, because there's no way he should have regained the trust of any superior officer after the stunt he pulled off."

* * *

Back in Berger's quarters, Jonathan was stunned and shocked by the story that Berger told him. He couldn't believe that one of Domel's best officers had outright lied about the details regarding the Battle of Garcia Nebula and Corval.

"I had no excuse," Berger said remorsefully. "I did something that no officer in the Garmillas Navy should have ever done. Just right after the court martial, Old Haidern called me to Domel's office. They both had easily seen my deception to pin all the blame of the mission's failure on Langscroff and my intention to have him executed. The failure of the mission was equally my own doing as well as Langscroff's. General Domel was so furious that he wanted me to be stripped of my command and demoted back to the rank of corporal. Never in my life had I felt so terrified and helpless as I realized that my own blind rage to avenge the loss of my fiance had nearly ended my career as a Garmillon officer."

Berger paused as he reflected back to that dark day. "Truthfully I deserved to be punished. It was arguably the one of the biggest regrets of my life."

Jonathan remain silent, as he too secretly had a burning rage against Gatlantis and previously against Garmillans as well. He nearly fell into the same situation as Berger did after an angry fight against a certain junior Garmillan officer out of spite during his early days in the Earth-Garmillas alliance which nearly got his ranked stripped. Perhaps Berger was more alike than he expected, although not to that extreme. Pushing that thought aside, Jonathan raised a question that pondered in his mind for a while.

"What happened next? I mean you never got demoted so what changed General Domel's mind?"

Berger smiled slightly as he turned to a portrait of a fallen Garmillan officer that hanged near his desk.

"Major Ghetto, another of Domel's trusted Majors and a close friend of mine, came into the office and pleaded to be given another chance, even though I didn't ask for it. He argued that withdrawing a skilled and talented commander like myself from the frontlines would be a mistake. Especially, since we didn't have any suitable or available substitutes to replace Langscroff or myself. Domel reluctantly agreed, but on the condition that all my combat operations would be directly monitored by him personally to prevent another repeat of Garcia. From that day onward, I swore to regain Domel's trust and regain my honor no matter how tough though it would be."

Berger sighed and lower his head in shame.

"I know sounds wrong for me to be given another chance especially what I did. Sometimes I question myself whether I'm ever worthy to carry the torch that Domel once had. A brash and impulsive young Major who always acts first before using his head. Nevertheless, after Domel and my friends fell at the Rainbow Cluster, I promised my late comrades that would strive to be the commander that they and those who served under me could be proud off."

Berger shook his head and turned back to Jonathan who sat there pondering over his words.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you with such a woeful tale of my past," said Berger. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh no sir," replied Jonathan sympathetically. "Actually, I can understand what you been through. In fact, I'll say you reminded me a lot of my younger self."

"Is that so?" asked Berger.

"Well in some respects not all of it," Jonathan admitted.

Just then, the intercom began whistling in the room which prompted Berger to answer it.

"Yeah? Berger here."

"_CIC here, this is Brandt_," came the voice of Berger's aide. "_We've just received word from General Dolmen. His task force has been attacked._"

Jonathan and Berger look at each other in concern with this new starting news.

"On my way," replied Berger.

* * *

A/N: _Boy writing this second part of the flashbacks was quite difficult to write. Especially with the details of the tribunal of Langscroff, Anika's feelings towards the moral implications of their actions, and of course Berger's actions in the aftermath. _

_Honestly, I feel bad for writing him to be such a mean jerk, especially since he is my favorite Garmillan character of the series aside from Dessler. But back in Yamato 2199, he was a very arrogant and impulsive young commander that often had to be back in his place by both General Domel and Colonel Haidern of the _Domelaze _III, whether it was regarding his blitzkrieg attacks against Gatlantis as seen in his first appearance in episode 11 in 2199 or his attitude to second-class soldiers in episode 19.  
It wasn't until the Ark of the Stars movie when Berger begins to have a change of heart and attitude which turns him into the bold and awe-inspiring commander that we know now, and it shows how vulnerable and broken he was inside after the loss his girlfriend and possibly __fiance to Gatlantis where she was tragically killed in front of his eyes during a battle. _

_In fact, prior to writing this story, there was a brief theory that I found in the OurStarBlazers website's commentary of the movie where it was suggested that the reason why Berger was so exuberance in his attack against the Gatlantis fleet in episode 11 of 2199 was due to this personal loss which scarred him for life literally. So when I began to write about Anika's past and Berger's appearance in the story, I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be neat if I wrote Berger's part in this flashback based on that theory to explore that idea more deeply?"  
Hopefully I did some justice in portraying his younger self._

_As for the next chapter release, it will be back to the two to three weeks releasing schedule. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter and look forward to the next one! Stay safe and healthy everyone! _


	17. Backdoor Dealings

**Chapter 17 - Backdoor Dealings**

Upon entering the CIC, Berger and Jonathan found there was fluster of activity among all the operators and officers who were manning their respective display screens and computers. Captain Baren, Major Brandt and the young Sergeant Evans were among them.

"Report!" Berger ordered as he approached Brandt.

"General Dolmen finally made contact with us about five minutes ago," replied Brandt. "He reports that the _Württemberg_ has taken severe damage with half of her engines knocked out."

"Good Gosh…" muttered Berger. "Can you put me through to the _Württemberg_?"

"Yes sir, we have General Dolmen on the line along with Commodore Davenport from the _Dauntless_."

Just then Otto entered the CIC and approached Jonathan.

"What's going on?"

"General Dolmen's forces have been attacked," Jonathan answered.

"Is it that space fortress again?" asked Otto. "Or the Gatlanteans?"

Jonathan shook his head. "I'm not sure Mr Geizeler... I'm not sure..."

Opening up on the big main viewscreen, the video call split into two halves with one showing Davenport with his clean pristine bridge of the Dauntless, while the other showed General Dolmen who was as rough and banged up as the _Württemberg_'s bridge which was dimly lit and filled with smoke.

"_Colonel Berger, good to see you again_," greeted Dolmen. "_Good work on saving Kaldaria 3 and finding the _Audacious_!_"

"Likewise, General Dolmen," Berger replied. "What happened? Were you attacked by the Gatlanteans?"

Dolmen's face dropped to a serious frown. "_We're not sure what hit us to be honest. We were patrolling near the Levia Asteroid Belt two hours ago when all of a sudden we were struck by a couple of torpedoes that just came out of nowhere._"

Jonathan's eyes went wide at the mention of Levia Asteroid Belt.

"Out of nowhere?" Berger asked.

"_Yes, we couldn't detect any ships or spacecraft bombers that could have launched those missiles from the directions they fired,_" confirmed Dolmen. "_After the first salvos destroyed two of my cruisers and four destroyers, I dispatched a couple of my escort ships to the vector where the torpedoes had appeared in our radar scopes, but they found nothing. The second volley of torpedoes came in from a different direction from the first which mortally wounded the astro battleship _Heureux _and sank one of the Terron Kongos."_

"_Which one?_" asked Davenport in concern.

"_I think was the UNCF_ Kako," replied Dolmen. "_Two of your patrol frigates were also sunk in that attack. At that point, I ordered the rest of the fleet to make a hasty retreat out of the sector to avoid whatever had attacked us at full speed. I thought we were in the clear, but eight minutes later, a third wave of torpedoes struck us from the front. That was the most devastating attack as it destroyed nearly eight of my ships and severely damaged the _Württemberg_'s bow. I had enough and decided for all ships to make an emergency Geschtam Jump. But just seconds before we could exit the sector, a fifth and final wave of torpedoes struck our rear. That's when the _Württemberg_'s port engines were knocked out. But thankfully, we managed to make the jump and found ourselves near the Llaretis System._"

"Good Gosh," muttered Brandt. "That sounds like a massacre."

"_Are you sure you couldn't detect a single enemy ship or spacecraft?_" asked Davenport skeptically. "_I had two of our patrol cruisers attached to your task force and they have the best radars and sensors of our fleet. And you're telling me they didn't even find anything that could have launched those torpedoes?"_

"_Believe me Commodore Davenport, they tried,_" insisted Dolmen. "_They even scanned for any spatial wave motion echoes for traces of a possible SMITE teleportation, but none were found. The captain of the UNCF_ Glasgow w_as up in arms and cursing about their inability to find any hostile contacts and was wondering if they were dealing with witchcraft!"_

As Berger pondered over what could have attacked Dolmen's fleet, he noticed that Jonathan's face was white as sheet. "Commander Lee is there something wrong?"

"The Levia Asteroid Belt…" Jonathan replied shakily. "After the _Audacious _escaped the destruction of Garmillan Starbase 239, we arrived at the Levia Asteroid Belt to temporary hide there for repairs… If we had stayed there and didn't head off to Kaldaria 3… Damn, I guess I made the right call to leave once basic repairs were done. It could have been us."

"Actually… I think we were luckier than you think we are," said Otto uneasily.

"What do you mean?" asked Jonathan.

"I finished reviewing the data logs from Garmillan Starbase 239, and the description of the attack on the space port is eerily similar to the attack on Dolmen's fleet."

"Wait," said Evans as an awful realization began to sink in with everyone present. "Are you suggesting that-"

"The same enemy that crippled Starbase 239 also attacked Dolmen's fleet?" finished Otto. "Yes, I think there's a strong possibility. The only recoverable data logs were the first forty minutes of the attack on the space port. But from what I observed, the sentry ships that were guarding Starbase 239 were also destroyed by an unseen enemy and were all picked off one by one. All of their crews reported that they were being attacked by waves of torpedoes and missiles that seemingly appeared out of thin air."

"_Yeah, that sounds about what happened to us_," replied Dolmen. "_The only exception is that we lived to tell the tale._"

"Mr Geiszler, is there anything else you found that could give us any clues to who attacked both Dolmen's ships and the starbase?" asked Berger anxiously.

"I-I-" Otto began stuttering as all eyes were focused on him. "Erm… I'm… really sorry! There isn't that much. Most of the recorded data after Starbase 239's defenses were either destroyed or corrupted. The last report that the base commander mentioned was that there were Gatlantean Needleslaves that had breached the space port's interior… After that nothing…"

"Well that is a start," said Brandt. "I think we can safely assume that whoever destroyed the sentry ships and crippled Starbase 239 are either Gatlanteans or someone that has full access to their tech."

"I agree," Jonathan added. "This also confirms that the Needleslaves we encountered inside the ruined space port were from the first attack on the starbase. That Gatlantean fleet we encountered must have been sent to finish the job. Good thing we got out of there before that enemy Medulusa-class battleship blew it to kingdom come with its firestorm direct strike cannon."

"Wait a minute, hold it for one second," said one of the Garmillan lieutenants. "Considering that both Garmillan Starbase 239 and Dolmen's fleet were attacked by an enemy that couldn't be seen. Does this mean that the Gatlantean's now have stealth technology?"

A pregnant pause filled the CIC as everyone began to realize the terrifying possibility and consequences of Gatlantis capable of having such a technological power.

"By the holy light of Iscandar," gasped Evans aloud. "We're so screwed!"

"How do you beat enemy ships that we can't even see?" exclaimed one of the lieutenants.

"Calm down," replied Baren, who was trying to cool the escalating hysteria that now gripped the entire CIC. "If it's just stealth ships we could eventually develop the means to detect and track them down!"

"What if it isn't stealth ships?" cried another who began to panic. "What if the Gatlanteans actually stole our dimensional submarines' technology and adapted it to their ships!? Those things would be virtually untouchable even if we calculated the trajectory of their torpedo attacks!"

"If we can't even track them, they'll be able to get though all our detection and radar grid nets and probably penetrate deep into our space and attack all our planets with impunity!"

"Zaltz, Vesper, New Alteria, Malan, our home planet of Garmillas and even Iscandar itself could be attacked without warning!"

At this point, the entire CIC erupted in mass panic as everyone began arguing and yelling about all the worse possible scenarios that Gatlantis could wreak havoc on. Jonathan watched as both Baren and Brandt tried to calm their crew members down but to no avail.

"SILENCE!" Berger roared which prompted everyone to zip their mouths shut and look at the stoic Garmillan commander.

"We're not going to panic and cower in fear just because Gatlantis now has either stealth or dimensional technology," continue Berger with firm determination. "This isn't the first time they have bested us with stolen or new technology. As soldiers of Garmillans, we don't give in or give up when things go tough! If we can gather more data and information regarding these sneak attacks with the help of our resourceful terron allies, we will find a weakness and develop a countermeasure against whatever the Gatlanteans have been using against us. Rest assure, we shall crush those cowardly green barbarians and send them back to extinction where they belong! Is that understood?"

"Zar Belk!" replied all the Garmillan men inside the CIC.

"Good," Berger nodded his head in approval. "Now get back to work!"

As everyone went back to their stations, Jonathan looked at Berger with a sense of awe. Even though Berger had recently expressed his own doubts on whether he could continue Domel's legacy, he certainly was able to boost morale and build confidence in his men the same way that his late superior officer did.

"_Colonel Berger_," said Davenport from the main viewscreen. "_I think it would be best if we continued our discussion in a more discreet location_."

"Of course," replied Berger. "We'll talk in the conference room like before. I'll see you later in half an hour."

As the most of Berger's command staff left the CIC, Jonathan noticed Otto sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked Jonathan.

"Me and my big mouth," mumbled Otto. "I shouldn't have spoken aloud about what I found out about the first attack at 239 in CIC."

"That's okay Otto," Jonathan reassured him as both exited the CIC. "Honestly, we should have resumed communications with both General Dolmen and Commodore Davenport in a more secure room in the first place."

"Yeah, I guess."

"How's Anika by the way?" asked Jonathan anxiously. "Is… Is She feeling okay?"

"She feels miserable alright," answered Otto. "She regrets for having lashed out at Berger over the incident with that old SO of hers. Miss Welmer despises him for blackening Major Langscroff during his court martial."

"So I heard," Jonathan replied. "Did you also tell her that Berger asked me to come to his quarters?"

"Yeah, she didn't take it well," said Otto uneasily. "She really distrusts him. What did the Colonel want to discuss with you in his quarters by the way?"

Jonathan was silent, he had promised Berger not to tell anyone regarding most of the details regarding that ill-fated mission but nevertheless felt compelled to answer Otto honestly.

"Nothing that I'm allowed to share," said Jonathan. "But all I can say is that Colonel Berger has his sins and had make up for them. He isn't proud of what he did."

"I see…" replied Otto. "I guess decorated heroes do have their dark moments..."

"Indeed they do," mumbled Jonathan quietly as he briefly remembered how he was awarded a medal for his 'valor' on the _Dover_.

"Boy things have gotten really depressing," sighed Otto in frustration. "Especially with Lieutenant Commander Welmer getting herself detained in the brig. If only we could find some way to help her... But to go up against that Major..."

Jonathan suddenly stopped in his tracks and remembered something.

Otto looked back and saw Jonathan gazing at one of the adjacent corridors that led away from the direction of the conference room. "What is it Commander?"

"I just remembered something that could be useful," replied Jonathan as he dashed towards the corridor. "I'm going back to the Seagull transport in the starboard auxiliary hangar. I'll catch you up later in the conference room."

"But what about the rest of the post-battle debriefs we're suppose to do?" asked Otto.

"You can handle them on your own for the moment! Won't be long!" yelled Jonathan as he disappeared from the distant corner.

"B-b-but I…" stammered a flabbergasted Otto as the thought of talking to the senior officers of both Garmillas and the UNCF on his own intimidated him to the core.

Realizing that he had no other choice but to go ahead without Jonathan, Otto sighed helplessly and resumed his stroll down the opposite direction. "First Miss Welmer goes into the brig and then Commander Lee runs off on his own," Otto moped to himself. "Am I seriously the only one left in this group? What a debriefing mission this has become…"

* * *

**_21st October 2204 – Sector NGC 1869 – UNCF _Dauntless**

Inside the bridge of the UNCF _Dauntless_, Commodore Davenport was currently discussing with his command staff regarding the dire situation. Unlike some of the D-class ships in UNCF, the _Dauntless_ was given a command bridge which had more consoles than a typical Dreadnought which meant it was manned by a larger bridge crew to suit her role as a fleet flagship.

"Right gentlemen, you've heard from the young Garmillan lad and General Dolmen," said Davenport. "Apparently the Gatlanteans now have stealth technology which allows them to strike our ships with complete immunity. As such, we need redistribute our forces in the LMC to help support our Garmillan allies and hold the line till reinforcements from the Milky Way can come. If Earth's command permits it."

"Forgive me sir, what good would it do by bringing in more ships?" asked Lieutenant George O'Hare, the chief weapons officer of the _Dauntless_. "If these 'resurrected' Gatlanteans do indeed have stealth technology, we would be sentencing them to the same fate as Garmillan Starbase 239 and Dolmen's fleet, especially since our patrol cruisers were unable to detect them."

"That remains to be seen," replied Davenport skeptically. "I still doubt that our patrol cruisers failed to even detect even a trace of a faint contact considering their surveillance abilities. Once I look though the post-action reports of both the _Glasgow_ and the _Jintsū_, I'll determine whether our SEWC (Space Early Warning and Control) cruisers' radar and sensors are indeed fully blind to whatever tricks the Gatlanteans have under their sleeves. Until then, I'm requesting General Serizawa and Admiral Todo for a few more Dreadnought task groups with patrol cruisers to be sent to the LMC to help us out."

Turning to his comms officer who was working at his console. "Lieutenant Mullroy."

"Yes sir?"

"Has Earth Command responded to our report regarding the return of Gatlantean ships?"

"Not yet sir," Mullory replied.

"Very well, inform me once they reply."

Turning back his attention to his staff, Davenport continued. "In the meantime, we'll need to redistribute some ships to reinforce the _Audacious_. With the loss of her escorts, she'll be needing new ones. Also, I want a senior commander to take charge of that new flotilla. I don't trust overall command be given to a young acting captain who is far too young and impulsive to handle an Andromeda-class battleship."

Theodore grimaced at the lofty remark of his old academy classmate which caught the notice of his superior officer.

"Something wrong Lieutenant Commander Gregson?"

"No sir, I don't disagree with you placing overall command of the new flotilla with someone with more seniority," replied Theodore. "But with all due respect, Commander Lee may be aggressive, but he isn't stupid. He's one of the smartest and talented tactical officers I know. You shouldn't dismiss him so easily because of his age."

"Thank you Mr Gregson, but I'll be the judge of that," replied Davenport flatly. "For the record, I need you to appoint a new CO for the flotilla based around the _Audacious_. Preferably from one of our two patrol cruisers. It's either Commander Dobson from the _Southampton_ or Commander Vivian from the _Manchester_. Once you selected your man, have him come to my quarters for the upcoming meeting."

"Aye Commodore," replied Theodore as he received a data tablet for him to look though.

"Alright, you may be dismissed gentlemen," said Davenport.

Before Davenport left the bridge for his quarters with Gregson in tow, Mullroy suddenly called up from the comms console. "Lieutenant Commander Gregson! There's someone calling for you from the comms! It's urgent"

Theodore raised an eyebrow. Who could possibly be calling him around this time? Looking back at Davenport he gave an apologetic look which prompted the Commodore to quietly allow Theodore to respond to the call with a discreet nod. Right after Davenport left the bridge, Theodore promptly went over to the comms console and wore the headset to talk to whoever was paging for him.

"Hello? Lieutenant Commander Gregson here. Who is this?"

"_Hey Theo! It's me!_" came the voice of Jonathan.

"Jonathan? Hey buddy how you're doing? So glad you're still alive! Had me worried when your ship suddenly went silent."

"_Same here_," replied Jonathan. "_Was relieved to hear that the _Dauntless _was still intact too!_"

"Hold on a second," Theodore frowned. "How and why are you directly contacting me all of the sudden? Aren't you supposed to be in the _Neu Balgray_'s conference room by now?"

"_Listen, I don't have much time,_" replied Jonathan in an urgent tone. "_I'm contacting you from the Seagull's comms via a piggyback transmission from the _Audacious _to you. Which thankfully I may add, finally got its comm fixed at last._"

"Why the secrecy though?" asked Theodore. "Can't you just call from the _Neu Balgray_'s comms instead?"

"_Unfortunately I can't. At least not when Major Brandt is around! Look, I know Commodore Davenport is probably going to send some ships to reinforce the_ Audacious_ if my ship is still going to be deployed in operations against Gatlantis. I'm guessing that the flotilla command will be centered on a patrol cruiser. Am I right?_"

"Yes, you're spot on about that," replied Theodore. "Why do you ask?"

"_Is there any senior officer aboard those Edinburgh-class ships that served aboard the_ Indefatigable?" Jonathan asked. "_Specifically, around the time I was serving aboard the Kongo-class vessel?"_

"I'm not sure," replied Theodore as he went through the crew listing of both ships from his tablet. "It will take a while to look through the crew manifest of both the _Southampton_ and the _Manchester_. I was actually just tasked to assign one of their captains to lead the flotilla you spoke off. Once I choose my candidate, he'll be brought aboard the _Dauntless_ for the upcoming meeting. I'm either going to pick Commander Dobson of the _Southampton_ or Commander Vivian from the _Manchester_-"

"_Wait, hold it right there!_" exclaimed Jonathan's voice. "_Did you say Commander Vivian? As in Jacob Vivian!?_"

"Just a second, let me check," replied Theodore as he scrolled though the list to find the CO of the Manchester. A few seconds later, Theodore found his answer. "Well what do you know, that's him alright! You know him?"

"_Yeah, he was one of my senior officers aboard the_ Indefatigable _and Captain Pellew's second in command. He is a good friend too as he helped me adapt to life aboard that ship."_

"I see… And I presume you would want him to be the CO of your flotilla, right? May I ask why?"

"_Look, what I'm asking is not for my benefit but for somebody else,_" replied Jonathan. "_This is also a strategical decision that will benefit my ship and crew for the hard days ahead. However, I want you to keep my involvement in this a secret for now. I know it sounds crazy, but I need you to trust me on this one! Could you do that for me please?"_

Theodore sighed, although he would possibly get into trouble with Davenport for this request, he knew he couldn't let his friend down.

"Alright, I'll do it," replied Theodore after thinking about it for a minute. "But you're going to be owing me more than just that bet you paid me recently!"

Jonathan chuckled. "_Don't worry, I'll make it up to you later I promise. Anyway, I got to go now before the rest start wondering when I'm going to up. Remember to get Commander Vivian and the_ Manchester!"

"Ok but Jonathan, why exactly are you-" Theodore couldn't finish his sentence as the call was cut off.

"Damn it…" Theodore muttered to himself. "I guess I'll ask him later."

* * *

_**21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3 – Neu Balgray**_

The debriefing inside the conference room went well as expected. Both Jonathan and Otto continued to explain in detail regarding the events that happened inside Garmillan Starbase 239 to their respective superiors. However, when they came to the part where Erickson was killed near the terminal docking bay, Jonathan stumbled on some of his words as he recalled that traumatic event. After he had finished, there was a silent paused as the higher-ranking officers took a while to absorb the details of Erickson's demise. This made Jonathan nervous and wondered if he was going to be punished for what had happened.

"_It's unfortunate how Erickson was killed_," said Davenport quietly. "_But considering the circumstances, I don't think it could have been avoided. No need to mope about it, Commander Lee."_

"Yes sir," replied Jonathan in a whisper.

Although Jonathan was relieved that there was no blame being placed on him, he still felt somewhat responsible for Erickson's death.

"_So, if Erickson was killed and you sprained your arm, who exactly took over the helm of the_ Audacious?" asked Davenport.

"Oh… About that," Jonathan stammered slightly. "I erm… Gave Lieutenant Commander Welmer the control of the helm."

"_I'm sorry, you did what?_" exclaimed Davenport, clearly displeased by Jonathan's answer.

"This is outrageous!" roared Brandt, clearly both shocked and enraged Jonathan's answer. "You let a Zalti take control of the helm of your ship!?"

"Brandt!" Berger glared back at Brandt for mentioning Anika's heritage irrelevantly.

"Apologies Colonel," mumbled the Major as he controlled himself. "I was just expressing my disapproval for that Terron captain giving control of one of the most powerful ships in the Cosmo Navy to a… questionable candidate."

"_Care to explain Commander Lee?_" asked Dolmen from the main screen. "_Why pick a Garmillan officer? Especially if she has no experience or knowledge of using the controls of a Terron ship. How did she learnt to use the controls so quickly?_"

"With all due respect General," answered Jonathan. "Miss Welmer actually has experience operating a Terron helm interface. Specifically when she was on the _Indefatigable_ during the Battle of Kelpier System during the early Earth-Garmillas joint missions. You should look it up. It took her a few minutes to get used to the controls as they were more modern than the old Kongo's, but she mastered it pretty well!"

"It's true!" added Otto as he brought up a visual display of the Audacious' flight path during the battle for everyone to see. "The way she maneuvered the _Audacious_ was beautifully done! You should have seen her weaving and dodging all those enemy ships like a fighter pilot! If it hadn't been for her, we wouldn't have broken though the Gatlantean ships!"

"Yes, thank you Mr Geizeler," said Brandt flatly. "You don't need to describe in detail of Miss Welmer's piloting abilities as you clearly have shown us on the screens."

"_Impressive indeed_," commented Davenport although he shot a glare of displeasure at Jonathan. "_I'll admit that I've never seen anyone pilot an Andromeda so proficiently. Especially considering how quick she was to master it. However, like Major Brandt has expressed, I'm not pleased that you let a minor Garmillan officer be given the controls of one of our most powerful ships. That is a security risk that shouldn't be taken so lightly._"

"Believe me sir, I didn't," replied Jonathan firmly. "I wouldn't give her access to the helm if I knew I couldn't trust her. I've known her long enough to know she isn't the kind to betray her allies or her own country regardless of what skin color she has."

Jonathan shot a glare at Brandt who said nothing in return.

"Anyway," continued Jonathan. "After we destroyed the last enemy battleship, we warped to the Levia Asteroid Belt where we hid inside one of the larger hollowed asteroids to do basic repairs on the _Audacious_ and later had a memorial service for the fallen. Between that time, I made the call to head to one of the nearby planetary bases to borrow its long-range comms to contact either the _Dauntless_ or _Württemberg_ regarding the disaster at Garmillan Starbase 239 and of course our first contact with that mobile space fortress. Unfortunately…"

"Unfortunately what?" asked Davenport as his eyes narrowed.

"Well we had a hiccup on getting permission from Kaldaria 3 to borrow their comms," replied Jonathan uneasily. "The base commander's aide was… Stubborn to reason with… Took nearly three hours to finally get through to Major Goer. So, we just spent most of our time finishing our repairs."

"Yes, we know," replied Berger. "Major Goer and Captain Kolin told us the rest of the story. And rest assured, we've taken care of Gisilbert and given him an appropriate punishment."

Jonathan sighed in relief. "Thank you…"

"_Anyway we don't have time to discuss further details regarding the Skirmish at Kaldaira 3,_" said Dolmen as moved the discussion to the main current crisis. "Y_ou'll all just have to send us further witness reports along with Lieutenant Commander Welmer's as well. Right now, due to the current state of emergency, I would like our forces to be redistributed to contain and deal with the resurgence of Gatlantis. If they're indeed responsible behind all these attacks._"

"What about your flagship General Dolmen?" asked Berger. "Do you require my task force to escort you to a friendly base for repairs?"

"_That won't be necessary Colonel Berger, but I appreciate the offer_," replied Dolmen. "_I already got another task force to come and aid the_ Württemberg and _her remaining escorts. In addition, my Geschtam engines have almost been repaired and we should be able to get underway soon._"

Dolmen soon turned his attention to the commanding officer of the _Dauntless_. "_Commodore Davenport. I've decided to detach the remaining Terron ships from my task force and divert it to yours. Has Earth called you back regarding the situation here in the LMC?_"

"_Not yet,_" replied Davenport. "_But if Earth Command does approve of my request to continue rendering assistance to your forces, we're more than ready and eager to stay here and fight._"

Davenport turned to Jonathan. "_Commander Lee, what's the status of the_ Audacious?_ I know she has taken some damage in the previous battles you fought in and has a mostly green crew. Will you be able to continue combat operations for the next couple of weeks?_"

"Yes sir," replied Jonathan wholeheartedly. "Although we did take some severe hull damage, my chief engineer recently reported to me that it can be fully repaired thanks to the internal factory installed inside the ship, which means we can easily manufacture spare hull plating parts. In addition, most of our weapons systems were undamaged during the fight which means we're still fully combat capable."

"_How soon can you be fully repaired and get underway?_" asked Davenport.

"Best estimates, I think about thirty hours. But I reckon most of our serious damage will be repaired in half that time," Jonathan added.

"Very well, you have fifteen hours to get your ship and crew ready for combat," replied Davenport. "Since your escorts were destroyed in the previous two battles, I've already arranged for ships from my task force to rendezvous with you to form a new flotilla around your battleship. This includes the patrol cruiser _Manchester_, the old Kongo-class _Thunder Child_, and four other Fubuki-class frigates."

"Understood sir," replied Jonathan. "And… will the _Audacious_ still maintain the role of flotilla flagship?"

_"No, overall command will be given to someone with higher seniority,"_ replied Davenport as he gestured for someone to come into view. "_Step forward please._"

Soon, a burly but lean officer in his late-20s stepped into view, Jonathan forced himself to suppress the big grin on his face when he saw his old shipmate from the _Indefatigable_.

"_This is Commander Jacob Vivian of the_ Manchester," introduced Davenport. "_He's agreed to take overall command of the flotilla. Although you still have command of your ship. All strategical and tactical decisions regarding any action will be need to be approved by him. Are we clear?_"

"Crystal!" replied Jonathan.

"_Hello Commander Lee_," said Vivian with a friendly smile on his face. "_It's been a while._"

"Likewise Commander Vivian!" Jonathan beamed. "I see you've gotten a command of your own! How's life aboard one of those patrol cruisers?"

"_Pretty good_," said Vivian with a chuckle. "_A bit cramped but this elegant lady is very capable! We've got radars and sensors with abilities that would make the _Yamato _and your new Andromeda envious._"

"_You two know each other?_" asked Davenport.

"_Of course_," replied Vivian. "_He was one of the junior officers aboard my old ship, the Indefatigable, he was quite the troubled and boisterous character back then. But eventually Captain Pellew and I trained him into the fine tactical officer he is now._"

Jonathan chuckled nervously as he remembered his old days.

"_But rest assured Commodore, if Commander Lee tries to do something reckless or foolish_," added Vivian firmly. "_I'll keep him in line._"

"_Good_," said Davenport. "_In that case, you may prepare your ship and the rest of the flotilla to rendezvous with the_ Audacious."

"_Hold on Davenport, there is one more thing,_" interrupted Dolmen. "_Considering that Terron vessels are now operating in wartime conditions deep inside Garmillas territory, I would like to appoint a couple of Garmillan observers on some of your ships to make sure the actions of their respective commanders are in line with the interests of Garmillas._"

"I'm already on it General," replied Brandt. "I've already selected a candidate from our ship to be the Garmillan envoy for the _Audacious_."

"_Really? That was unusually fast,_" commented Davenport suspiciously. "_I would've preferred if you had informed me of this matter beforehand."_

"It's called being prepared for all scenarios Commodore," replied Brandt dryly. "Besides I wouldn't want a powerful Terron battleship to be going around the LMC without supervision. Especially, with someone like Commander Lee getting involved in things that shouldn't be of his concern."

"And what would that be Major?" asked Jonathan as he narrowed his eyes in irritation at Brandt.

"Matters that might compromise the good of the Garmillas itself," said Brandt as he glared at the young Terron captain with contempt.

"Brandt, that's enough!" Berger gave a warning glare at his aide before turning his attention to Jonathan. "Rest assured my fellow Terron allies, this was done under my supervision. I can assure you that there are no ill intentions upon that appointment. Besides, it's just a temporary posting till the crisis has been resolved. I hope you don't mind it Commander Lee."

"Well I do!" Jonathan argued. "I mean no offense, but I don't think my crew will be comfortable with having some random Garmillan officer they don't even know watching every single thing they do aboard my ship!"

"That's true," agreed Baren. "I don't think those young lads will like the candidate you chosen Brandt. He may be a logical choice, but his bedside manner might alienate them."

"Exactly," replied Jonathan. "Which is why I propose that in addition to having an observer to monitor the crew of the _Audacious_, there should be an aide to mediate relations between the crew and the observer to ease unnecessary tensions."

"_That's sounds like a good idea_," said Davenport. "_We had occasions where Garmillan observers brought in aides aboard Terron ships to help ease tensions between both our crews and yours._"

Davenport turned to Vivian. "_I presume you had one on Pellew's old ship am I not correct?_"

"_That we did sir,_" replied Vivian. "_The one we had was extremely useful in helping to simmer down grudges that some of my old crewmates had against Garmillans after the end of the other war._"

"And who exactly are you suggesting Commander?" asked Berger. "Sub Lieutenant Geiszler perhaps?"

Otto nearly jumped at his seat at the mention of his name as everyone looked at him. "M-m-me!?"

"No, he's too anxious and nervous to fill in that role," replied Jonathan. "But I would still like to keep him aboard to help us devise a countermeasure against those stealth ships. The candidate I'm proposing is Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer."

At the mention of Anika's name, Brandt, as predicted, venomously protested. "Out of the question! That Zalti girl is to remain confined to the brig and serve her sentence for disrespecting Colonel Berger!"

"_Wait a minute, did you just say Anika Welmer?_" came the voice of Vivian.

"That's right," replied Brandt scornfully. "That young miss bluntly insulted and accused Colonel Berger over a four-year old event that has no relevance of today. As expected with these former second-class citizens, always looking to blame us pure-blooded Garmillon officers even after the fall of the Dessler regime."

"_That's very odd_," said Vivian with a doubtful frown. "_If I'm not mistaken, Anika Welmer is one of the kindest, respectful and honest junior officers in the Garmillan Navy that I had the pleasure of knowing. In fact, I would say she is the perfect choice for a mediator between a Garmillan observer and a rookie terron crew._"

"_And how do you know this?_" asked Davenport.

"_For starters, she was the Garmillan aide that I was talking about that was assigned to the_ Indefatigable. _I've seen how then Lieutenant Welmer acted under pressure from prejudice from both Garmillans and Humans alike. She never tried to get even with them or give in from their insults. Was always willing to work with and help others regardless of what they thought of her._"

"_Well, in that case do you have a reason for why Miss Welmer acted the way she did during the previous meeting when she lashed out at Colonel Berger_?" asked Davenport.

"_Well I don't know what beef she has with the Colonel as I barely knew her past,_" admitted Vivian. "_But I do know that the only time she had lashed out in anger was when somebody went too far to ridicule and make her life miserable. Especially when he poked at something that was dear to her. Even a person as tolerant as her would have her limits._"

Everyone inside the _Neu Balgray_'s conference room glared at Brandt after hearing Vivian's last comment.

"Well, I might have been a bit too hard on her," said Brandt, trying to defend his actions. "But after that stunt she pulled with the _Audacious_ by bringing her to an ionic dust cloud which crippled her long-range comms. I still had the right to question her judgement even if she was a fine helmsman and aide."

"But that is also not quite true Major Brandt," said Jonathan.

"And why would that be Commander Lee?" retorted Brandt.

"You claimed that our comms were knocked out by one of the ionic discharges within the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud which prevented us from alerting and calling the rest of the fleet did you not?"

"That's correct," replied Brandt.

"Well I'm afraid to tell you the basis of your accusation is wrong," replied Jonathan as he slid a data tablet to Colonel Berger from across the table.

"What's this?" asked Brandt as he took a glance at the tablet that Berger was reading.

"A report of the damage assessment on our comms assembly," answered Jonathan. "I had my chief engineer look into the cause of the damage. You can look through the details later, but you might want to read the cause of the malfunction."

Berger looked though the translated text and began reading the highlighted paragraph in yellow on the display screen of the tablet.

"'In conclusion: the circuits that were shot out seemed to be the side effect of a powerful energy blast discharge that is consistent with the near impact of a large energy beam from an energy based cannon…'"

"This could have been easily been fabricated!" argued Brandt. "Your chief engineer must have-"

"Must have what?" said Jonathan cutting him off. "My chief engineer doesn't like working with Garmillans. So why would he agree with me to forge a false damage assessment report to save the career of a foreign officer?"

Brandt gritted his teeth, he couldn't risk further arguing with the Terron commander's words especially if his chief engineer indeed had xenophobic prejudices. Knowing that he couldn't defend his accusations any further, Brandt decided to admit defeat.

"No, of course he wouldn't," Brandt reluctantly admitted. "My apologies Commander."

"As if you really mean it," muttered Otto under his breath.

Jonathan sighed, relieved that he finally got Brandt's influence out of his opposition and decided it was now time make a case to save Anika's career. "Look, I know that what Lieutenant Welmer did earlier today was unacceptable. But right now, in this perilous crisis we're all in, we can't afford to push aside one good Garmillan officer for a single lapse of self-control because we need all capable hands on deck to handle this new threat! Please give her a second chance! Her temporary assignment on the _Audacious_ could be used as a probation period to prove herself under the supervision of the Garmillan advisor. If she has a good conduct throughout the voyage, perhaps you could consider lessening the charges against her."

Seconds tick by as everyone in the conference room contemplated with Jonathan's appeal.

"_We'll have to consider it, Commander Lee,_" answered Davenport. "_We will have to look into her career's history carefully before making the decision. If she is good and trustworthy as both of you claim, we'll give her a second shot."_

"Yes sir," replied Jonathan gratefully. "And thank you."

"_Okay, if there isn't anything else left to discuss,_" said Dolmen. "_We'll conclude this briefing. Be advised we'll pass your respective ships details on your assigned patrol stations and missions. Commodore Davenport and Colonel Berger, I'll leave the final verdict of Lieutenant Commander Welmer to both of you. Aside from that, I wish you and your crews Godspeed! Gentlemen, you may be dismissed and prepare your ships for deployment. That's all!_"

"Zar Belk!" replied all the Garmillan officers while the UNCF Captains responded with the traditional naval salute.

* * *

**_21st October 2204 – Sector NGC 1869 – UNCF_ Dauntless**

After the shared transmission with the _Neu Balgray_ and the _Württemberg_ ended, Davenport shook his head in disbelief in his quarters.

"Commander Jonathan Lee," muttered Davenport to himself as he went to his computer database to search up info regarding Anika's career and reputation. "Honestly I'm not sure whether I want to applaud him for how he handled Major Brandt or to disapprove of the lengths he went to defend that Zalti girl. His sincerity is admirable, but I hope his intentions are not misplaced or misused by others. Officers who run with emotions like that won't last long in a brutal war."

"Perhaps," replied Vivian with a smile of admiration. "Either way, it's marked improvement from how he started off those years ago."

"It sounds like you're proud him…" commented Davenport nonchalantly.

"If you see how he started, you would be sir," replied Vivian. "He's come a long way from that narrow minded and despondent midshipman he used to be."

"And what about you Gregson?" asked Davenport as he eyed his second in command who had been trying to suppress a smug grin since Vivian brought up Anika's previous posting. "Did you know anything about this when you appointed Commander Vivian as CO of the flotilla?"

"No Commodore," replied Theodore as innocently as possible. "I just chose Commander Vivian solely on the fact he was a highly professional commander and that he served under one of the best leaders in the Cosmo Navy! That's all to it."

Davenport still wasn't convinced by his executive officer's answer but decided to let the matter slide for now as he had more important business to attend to. If this Zalti girl wasn't worth the trouble, he'll consider interrogating Theodore himself for his discreet involvement in this entire drama.

* * *

A/N: _Boy was this a very talkative chapter to write... Not much to say about this one as it's quite self explanatory without my usual further elaborations. Theodore and Commodore Davenport weren't originally going to have a bigger role in this chapter. But while writing this chapter, I realized that Theodore had to do something in the story aside from being introduced in Chapter 2 as just Jonathan's old Cosmo Navy Academy classmate. So I gave him the role of giving Jonathan a chance at helping Anika. _

_In addition, both the _Dauntless _and her crew are a homage to the British ship-of-the-line with the same name from the first Pirates of the Caribbean film and its crew, in particular Commodore James __Norrington, whose actor's last name was used for the UNCF _Dauntless_' fabled commanding officer along with his POTC counterpart's personality traits. Honestly, the POTC franchise as a whole ought to treat its British naval characters better... (frustrated sigh) Norrington and Groves deserved better... Besides, we owe the existence of 'That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen...' meme to them. XD _

_I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter and look forward to the next one which will be hopefully coming out in two weeks time! Stay safe and healthy everyone!  
_


	18. A Small Step Forward

**Chapter 18 - A Small Step Forward **

_**21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3 – **_**Neu Balgray**

Back inside the brig, Anika was lying on her bed facing the wall, pondering about how Jonathan and Otto were doing while speculating about what kind of fate awaited her. Suddenly, she heard some light tapping on the bars of the door of her cell. Anika rolled around and saw Jonathan standing right outside her cell, looking at her in concern.

"Oh!" Anika mumbled as she rose from her bed. "Hello Jonathan."

"Hey," said Jonathan quietly. "Sorry to disturb you, the guard said that you were sleeping so I told him not to alert you to my arrival. Did you rest well?"

"Not really actually," she admitted. "I was just too stressed to sleep."

"Yeah, I can relate," replied Jonathan, recalling briefly of his recent nightmares.

"Look… Jonathan… I…" Anika stammered nervously. "I'm really sorry for my outburst in the conference room. It's just that… Well…"

"It's okay Anika," Jonathan reassured her. "I would have done it a lot worse if I were in your position. Especially if I were constantly provoked like that."

The Zalti girl glanced away as she struggled to ask her friend a question she had been dreading to ask. "Hey… Erm… Otto told me that Berger brought you to his quarters… Wh- What did he discuss with you about?"

Jonathan paused, as he was not sure how to answer her considering her grudge against Berger and how she would react to his answer.

"Was… Was it about the Battle of Corval?" asked Anika anxiously.

"Yes," Jonathan answered quietly.

"What did he say? Another fabrication to hide his crime?" Anika muttered with cynicism.

"On the contrary, quite the opposite," replied Jonathan firmly.

"Really?" Anika stood up to face Jonathan with disdain. "After what he did? After he framed Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff to take the blame of what happened that day!?"

"Anika, hear me out!" said Jonathan. "Look, I know you're very angry with him for what he has did. But trust me when I say that Colonel Berger really regrets his actions from that day."

"Well he should be!" Anika snapped. "No Garmillan officer should have lied in court about an error he made in combat! Sure, Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff made a good intentional but ill-timed move, but that doesn't justify Berger to add more accusations for things he didn't do! Berger should have been the one who got his ranked stripped and removed from command! Not Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff!"

"And he knows about that!" Jonathan argued. "It's not like he didn't get away with his slander without being punished! He had to work his way to regain General Domel's trust after he was threatened to have his command removed! And it wasn't easy on him as well!"

"Why wasn't he removed!?" asked Anika. "It should have been Uncle Langscroff instead of him! Not some reckless fool who doesn't know what is morally right! He of all people doesn't deserve that second chance!"

Jonathan was silent, wondering how to approach Anika without triggering her angst. He knew that she held Lieutenant Colonel Langscroff in high regard from what Berger had told him, but it seemed that Anika was much closer to him than expected, especially since she referred to him as "uncle." Was there some way of reaching her without getting her more distressed? A couple moments later, Jonathan had an idea, though he himself wasn't comfortable about it either.

"Hey Anika, there's something I want to ask…" asked Jonathan nervously. "If… If you despised a person like Berger so much and to the point you claim he's irredeemable. Why…"

Jonathan gulped, as he tried to bring the courage to say the words he dreaded to say. "Why did you go such lengths to help me out back then?"

Anika stopped dead in her tracks at Jonathan's question. Visibly distraught and surprised at why he would ask such a question by recalling their past.

"I was just…. unruly and reckless as he was," Jonathan added while tilting his head in shame. "Also, I was very nasty too you back then. You had every reason to hate and condemn me… So why didn't you?"

"You know the answer already," Anika replied quietly. "You were lashing out because you felt it was unacceptable to work with someone whom you called the enemy. Blamed the Garmillans, particularly the Zaltis for the loss of your mother whom you were close with and you took it out all on me."

"Yeah… That I did," whispered Jonathan regretfully.

"But even then," Anika continued. "I believed that despite being consumed with all that rage and loneliness, there was someone special behind all that brokenness. That's… Why I tried to understand and help you more… And that you would know and understand me better too…"

"But if that was the case…" Jonathan paused. "Why didn't you do the same thing with Berger?"

Anika grimaced. "That was different Jonathan."

"Is it really?" Jonathan asked. "Did it ever occur to you that Berger back then was lashing out for something or someone he lost? And that all those reckless attacks on Gatlantean forces he did back then was his own way of coping with that trauma? What if the reason why he accused and blamed Major Langscroff was not because of the failure of that mission, but because he inadvertently denied him the opportunity to avenge the death of his fiancée."

Anika eyes widened in shock as she processed what Jonathan had revealed to her. She hadn't thought about why Berger was acting as recklessly as he did back then. As Anika connected the dots, she recalled how Ingrid mentioned that Berger always seemed fixated and searching for something every time both she and Wilheim went on a combat mission and that Langscroff himself cautioned Berger not to be too obsessed with hunting Gatlanteans as it wouldn't help to resolve his pain.

"Is… That true?"

Jonathan nodded somberly.

Anika stepped back as she took a while to absorb the revelation that Jonathan had just dumped on her.

"Look, I know that what Berger did was still unacceptable," Jonathan added "He was denied an opportunity to avenge his loved one and turned his rage towards his own allies. You don't have to support his reasoning for what he did. But at least you could at least try to sympathize and understand why he did it."

Anika looked down and knew that Jonathan was right. As much as she had the right to be angry for what Berger did to Langscroff, she realized that her rage had gotten the best of her and prevented her from seeing things from Berger's point of view.

"Look, I know it's quite a lot to process so I'll leave you some time to think about it," said Jonathan. "But right now, we got other pressing things to worry about."

"We?" asked Anika despondently. "I'm finished Jonathan. There's no way I'm going to be left off the hook after what I said in the Conference room."

"Don't be so sure about that Anika," replied Jonathan.

Anika turned to Jonathan. "What do you mean?"

"Oh during the recent debriefing, I requested for you to be given a second chance by working as an aide for the Garmillas observer to act as a mediator on the _Audacious_ between the crew and the Garmillas representative."

Anika was left dumbstruck. "What?"

"It hasn't been confirmed," Jonathan continued. "But I had to pull a few strings to make a compelling case in front of top brass to give you another chance to prove yourself that you aren't a disrespectful Garmillan officer. Got in touch with an old acquaintance of ours from the _Indefatigable_ to put in a good word for you too. And don't worry, Major Brandt won't be able to discredit you this time. I made sure of that. All we need now is their approval and you'll be good to go."

Anika didn't comment on Jonathan's enthusiastic words, as there was just too much stuff for her to comprehend all at once.

"Anika? What's wrong," asked Jonathan, noticing Anika's despondent mood.

"Sorry, it's just that I-," Anika sighed. "I dug myself into this mess and I rather face the consequences of my actions. You didn't have to go that far to plea on my behalf-"

"Yes I do," Jonathan interrupted her gently. "You did the same for me back then remember? So as a friend that is in your debt, would you please let me return you the favor?"

Anika sighed and realized she couldn't talk Jonathan out of this. "Alright Jonathan... you win… If I get approved to be the Garmillas aide, I'll accept the offer."

"Thanks," replied Jonathan. "I'll let you know once the transfer is approved. I'll see you soon."

As Jonathan left the brig, Anika called out to him.

"Hey Jonathan, even if this isn't going to work… I just want to say thank you… For standing up for me."

Jonathan looked back at Anika, and acknowledged her with a sincere smile, before facing forward to pass though the doorway.

* * *

_**22nd October 2204**_

Ten hours later in the starboard auxiliary hangar of the _Neu Balgray_, Jonathan, Berger, Brandt, and Baren who were talking outside discussing about the current deployment plan of their respected ships when suddenly Evans appeared in the main doorway.

"Excuse me Colonel," declared the young blond Garmillan. "I've brought Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer and Sub Lieutenant Otto Geiszler to the starboard hangar as ordered sir!"

As soon as Evans finished, Anika stepped into view. Gone was her brownish army suit and now she was dressed in the formal olive-green uniform of a Garmillan Lieutenant Commander. The only traces of her old appearance were that she still had her hair tied in a ponytail and the two strands of hair next to her face. Jonathan was awestruck by Anika's new updated appearance but quickly shook the effect off.

Anika smiled politely while blushing slightly, however she soon realized somebody was noticeably absent. Glancing to her left, Anika sighed, cleared her throat, and gestured to somebody hidden from view to step out of his hiding spot. A moment later, Otto nervously stepped into view, which showed that he too had ditched his old brown overalls and now dressed in the bluish-grey formal uniform. With both newly dressed officers now present, the duo stepped towards Berger and Brandt and saluted them with the latter also doing so in reply.

"As of effect from 0815 hours," declared Berger. "Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer and Sub Lieutenant Otto Geiszler, formerly of the late astro battlecruiser _Reinicke's Fury_, will henceforth be temporary assigned to the Terron battleship UNCF _Audacious_. Both will thereby be tasked with assisting the ship's Terron crew in combating against the resurgent Gatlantean threat while Lieutenant Commander Welmer will additionally serve as an aide for the Garmillan advisor and observer, Captain Johann Nerge. That is all."

After the four lowered their hands, Jonathan smiled and complimented both Anika and Otto's new outfits. "Nice uniforms guys. They look really good. Especially you Anika."

"Thanks," replied Anika as her face went slightly red.

"Eh, I think my old outfit was more comfortable," Otto complained.

"Don't worry Otto," said Jonathan. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"So, where is this observer I have to work with?" asked Anika eagerly.

"Oh, he'll turn up soon miss," replied Baren. "In fact, he's right there!"

Everyone turned around to see a tall Garmillan officer with sharp facial features in a formal grey and light blue uniform, walking towards the group. He had long blond hair that was tied in a low ponytail on his back. His sharp chin and expressionless small eyes gave off the vibe of a cold hawk looking down on feeble and weaker birds below.

"A-a-an ex-Imperial Guard Captain!" Otto froze in terror as he recognized the frightening presence which all officers of the Dessler Regime most feared organisation projected.

The tall stoic officer took no notice of Otto as he stood to attention and saluted the captains of both the _Neu Balgray_ and the _Audacious_. "Intelligence Captain Johann Nerge, of the 16th Carrier Strike Group of the Great Garmillas Navy's 3rd Armored Division, reporting for duty." introduced the advisor in an apathetic tone. "I'm here to be the Garmillan advisor and observer aboard the Terron battleship _Audacious_."

Anika frowned at the chosen candidate, wondering whether this was the right man for the job.

"Erm Colonel Berger…" stammered Jonathan as he too was slightly intimidated by Nerge's appearance. "I-i-is this really the most suitable candidate you could have chosen?"

"Oh, Johann here?" replied Berger. "Don't worry, he may look scary and his bed side manner needs improvement, but he's a loyal officer that follows the rules to the letter. Ex-Imperial Guard he may be, he isn't one to abuse authority and power if you're worried about that."

"That's reassuring," mumbled Anika unconvincingly.

"Something wrong Miss Welmer?" asked Brandt with a small smirk on his face. "Or due you prefer to work with someone else?"

Anika shot a dirty look back at Brandt but quickly cooled herself down so that she wouldn't be provoked into his verbal trap again.

"No, of course not," Anika replied in a neutral tone. "I would gladly accept the challenge of working with a former officer of the old Imperial Guard."

"Good, that's the attitude I expect of a loyal officer of Garmillas," said Brandt sarcastically.

Anika fought the urge to roll her eyes and chose to ignore Brandt's remark.

"Let me be frank Lieutenant Commander Welmer," said Brandt flatly. "You're extremely lucky that both Colonel Berger and Commodore Davenport have agreed to pardon you. But if I hear a single of report of you stepping out of line from your duty, I'll have you stripped of your rank and place you back into the brig. Do I make myself clear?

"Yes sir," replied Anika with clenched teeth.

Nerge cleared his throat. "Commander Lee?"

"Yes, Captain Nerge?" said Jonathan.

"We only have a short time frame before we need to rendezvous with the other Terron flotilla," said Nerge. "I strongly suggest we depart as soon as possible."

"Of course… Captain Nerge," replied Jonathan as he forced a smile on his face. "Just give me a few minutes, I need to discuss some things with Colonel Berger and Captain Baren first. I'll meet you inside the Seagull transport later if you don't mind."

"Very well," replied Nerge as he left him without another word.

Anika looked at Jonathan with a worried expression.

_What should we do?_ She mouthed.

_Just follow him please!_ Jonathan silently replied giving her a pleading and apologetic look.

Anika sighed in exasperation and gestured a terrified Otto to follow her.

As both Anika and Otto followed behind Nerge, Jonathan turned his attention back to Berger. "About the mobile space fortress, aren't you going to consider sending more ships to search for that thing?"

"I'm sorry Commander Lee," replied Berger. "But General Dolmen and Commodore Davenport both believe that the Gatlantean attacks and their stealth ships are a bigger priority than chasing the phantom space fortress which hasn't made another appearance since your first encounter."

"I guess it can't be helped," Jonathan commented. "I just hope that Captain Baren has enough ships and firepower to deal with that thing if he's forced into combat against it."

"Don't worry Commander Lee," said Baren with a confident smile. "The _Graf Desuolbert_ won't go up against a foe that she can't win. We'll just trail that mobile devil space station from a safe distance until further reinforcements can be brought to bear to destroy that abomination! Who knows, we might call for your ship to personally finish the job!"

Jonathan chuckled. "Thanks for the offer Captain Baren. We'll try to render support if you do call for us."

"Excuse me Captain," interrupted Evans. "Sorry to intrude sir, but your launch in the port hangar is ready to return back to your ship! You need to be back on it in less than five minutes."

"Thank you Milts, I'll be there shortly," Baren smiled warmly at the young blond officer before turning back to the younger captains. "Sorry kids, I got to a mobile space fortress to hunt! Good luck to you all!"

Baren tipped the edge of his cap and left the starboard hangar bay.

With Berger alone, Jonathan decided to ask a question that had been nagging in his mind for a while.

"Excuse me Colonel Berger," asked Jonathan. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What kind of tech did the experimental ship have that you were supposed to destroy at the Garcia Nebula? Considering the lengths of which Langscroff was punished for leaving the mission objective despite saving civilians in the process and the fact you were penalized for not destroying every single Gatlantean ship despite destroying the captured vessel. I reckon it's something very important for not even a single living Gatlantean to even get a glimpse of it."

Berger was silent for a few moments before he answered Jonathan.

"Truthfully, both Langscroff and I weren't given details regarding the technological secret behind that ship," he admitted. "However, after I saw and experienced the tech being used by both Garmillas and eventually Gatlantis almost a year later, I finally figured out what it was and realized how big the consequences of our failure was to prevent the enemy from using it against us."

"What was it?" Jonathan asked.

Berger looked around to make sure nobody could overhear their conversation before answering Jonathan's question in a whisper.

* * *

A minute later, Anika was leaning on the side of the Cosmo Seagull transport, waiting for the Captain of the _Audacious_ to get back from his conversation with Berger and Baren.

"Finally!" exclaimed Anika as she watched Jonathan stroll down to their transport. "About time you showed up, what exactly were you discussing with… Colonel… Berger…"

Anika stumbled at her words as she soon noticed that Jonathan's face was as white as a sheet.

"Jonathan? What's wrong?" Anika asked in concern. "Did Berger do something to you?"

Jonathan snapped out of his dazed state and answered her quickly. "What? No no! It's just that I'm… Quite nervous to be working with a ex-Imperial Guard officer. That's all."

"Are you sure?" replied Anika, "Because you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Relax Anika," Jonathan tried to reassure her. "I'm fine."

"This is outrageous!" exclaimed a familiar and annoying voice.

Anika and Jonathan looked back to see Gisilbert protesting to Major Goer and Captain Kolin at the exit of the hangar bay.

"I'm being reassigned to EX-930?" continued Gisilbert as he continued his protest. "You must be joking right? I mean a person as skilled as I am shouldn't be sent to that crappy cruiser of yours!"

"Shut up!" replied Kolin who glared daggers at the snobbish Garmillan. "You're lucky that we didn't sentence you to the firing squad for your attempt to flee from the command center for your incompetence! And please address your new superior officer with respect! Private First Class Gisilbert!"

"Damn," muttered Anika as she watched the drama unfold. "At least I'm glad we didn't end up with an observer like him."

"Well I on the other hand, don't know whether I should feel happy that Gisilbert is punished or feel sorry for Captain Kolin to have to deal with him as part of his crew," Jonathan added.

Both looked at each and chuckled in amusement, before boarding the Seagull Transport.

As Berger watched the Seagull transport leave the hangar bay of the _Neu Balgray_ and fly back to the _Audacious_, Brandt approached him to talk about his opinions.

"Did you really have to approve of her transfer sir? After all those things she said about you in the open? An offense like that should have gotten her detained in the brig for at least half a year."

"Even so," replied Berger. "An officer with an exemplary service and talents should be given a second chance. It would be a mistake if she was put away when the Garmillas Military needed men and women like her the most, especially in times such as this."

Berger smiled to himself. "Langscroff would sleep well knowing his protegee has done well in his absence."

"But even so," Brandt argued. "Regardless of those second-class inferiors' dedication or their loyalty to Garmillas, it's pointless to encourage or motivate them when there is no reward for their service in the future."

Brandt's expression darkened as his voice lowered to a whisper. "You know what's happening with the mother planet and what comes next after the Supreme Leader himself finds a new place of residence."

Berger's smile slipped as he got reminded of the horrific truth that he and several other high ranking officers were sworn to keep secret. "Yes, Major Brandt. I know…"

"But for now," said Berger as he began making his way back to the bridge. "We can let them do their duty as they have always done, while it still lasts."

* * *

Upon returning aboard the _Audacious_ inside the port side auxiliary hangar, Jonathan quickly debriefed to both Fujimoto and Hobbs regarding their new Garmillan guests and their current orders. Before the two could even begin to comprehend them, Nerge curtly requested to be showed to his quarters which prompted an unhappy Hobbs to lead him to one of spare officer cabins. With Nerge being brought out of the hangar bay, Jonathan, Otto and Anika all released a sigh of relief with the ex-Imperial Guard officer's absence.

"Finally, he's gone!" exclaimed Otto.

"That was the most tense and awkward flight in a transport I have ever taken," gasped Anika. "I'm glad it didn't last long because it was so hard to even breath or make a sound!"

"No kidding," muttered Jonathan. "Hopefully this won't be a consistent problem with the rest of the crew."

"Indeed Captain, I hope you're happy that you brought in not one but _three_ Garmillans aboard our ship," replied Fujimoto sarcastically. "Which includes a former member of the Imperial Guard I might add."

"To be fair Fujimoto, I had no role in choosing him as our Garmillan advisor and observer. Besides, it's only temporary till the crisis gets resolved," said Jonathan as the four began making their way to the bridge. "Anyway, back to business. What's the status of the repairs to the ship?"

"We've just finished patching up the hull breeches and replaced the few high-mobility nozzle thrusters that were damaged in the battle," Fujimoto reported. "However, we still have to fully restore the lights and clear the debris of the corridors at Deck 08 in the sections that were previously breached. Other than that, we're good to go."

"Excellent," Jonathan nodded in approval. "Once we've exited the system, you can still finish the last repairs of the interior before we rendezvous with the _Manchester_ and her flotilla. Also, I would like to run some daily battle and damage control drills for the next couple of weeks. I want to make sure the crew is prepared for all worse-case scenarios especially if we get involved in a major fleet battle with the Gatlanteans."

"Understood Sir," Fujimoto replied firmly. "I'll make sure all the repair party teams are up to the task."

"Oh and one more thing," Jonathan added. "Lieutenant Commander Welmer will be at the helm of the ship for the rest of the voyage till the crisis has been resolved."

Fujimoto shot a look of disbelief at Jonathan's last order but realized it couldn't be helped.

"Very well Captain," sighed Fujimoto. "I just hope you've taken the necessary security precautions for this..."

As the four went around a corner, Jonathan nearly walked straight into Kaito who thankfully stopped just in time before colliding with him.

"Oh welcome back Jonathan- I mean Captain!" greeted Kaito warmly before turning his attention to Anika. "And I must say you look dazzling in that new uniform or yours Miss Welmer."

"Why thank you Kaito," replied Anika with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Jonathan shook his head in amusement and then cleared his throat. "Lieutenant Asuka, do you mind if you can ask around if there are any spare bunks for both Lieutenant Commander Welmer and Sub Lieutenant Geiszler? They'll be staying aboard the _Audacious_ for a while."

"I'm not sure, but I can ask someone to look into it, Sir," replied Kaito. "One more thing, what exactly is the current situation? It seems we're about to undertake a major naval operation."

"You'll hear about it later Kaito," answered Jonathan. "But to briefly sum it up for now, your pilots might be seeing a lot more action than they bargained for on this voyage."

* * *

"Captain on the bridge," announced Eddie as Jonathan, Anika, Otto, and Fujimoto stepped back into the command centre as everyone stood to attention.

"As you were," said Jonathan before turning his attention to Johanna. "Ensign Gibson, I'll like you to open a shipwide broadcast. "

"Yes sir," complied Johanna as she turned back to her comms console and got to work.

Once she was done, she nodded back at Jonathan. "You're on sir."

"Thank you," said Jonathan as he cleared his throat. "Attention crew of the _Audacious_, this is your Captain speaking, as most of you might have already heard, the attacks from Gatlanteans have escalated in the LMC. Due to the scale of this crisis, we've been ordered by Commodore Davenport at the request of Garmillan General Dolmen, to respond to the resurgent Gatlantean threat and use all necessary means to defeat it once and for all. Fortunately, we won't be alone as we'll be joined our fellow ships: the cruiser _Manchester_, the old battleship _Thunder Child_, and four other escort frigates. Together our new flotilla will be dispatched to patrol the astro shipping lanes in the Sulrethea Region where together we'll act as one of many picket ship forces that will hold the line against any further infiltration by the Gatlanteans in the LMC and respond to their attacks on any of our allied forces and bases. Also, since we're now operating in Garmillan space in wartime conditions, we've taken aboard a few of their officers, two of which whom you should already be acquainted with by now, to help advise and assist us in repelling those green barbarians off their home turf. Thus, I'll like to have your full cooperation while working with them regardless of whatever feelings you have about them."

Jonathan eyed Fujimoto hoping that he and some others like Hobbs had gotten the message clear. The chief engineer didn't say a word but simply nodded reluctantly.

As Jonathan looked around the rest of bridge, he noticed that both Eddie and Johanna were quite uneasy about their current orders, especially the latter who looked visibly scared. Even though some of the new rookies in his crew had proven resilient under fire and pressure such as Josiah and a few of Kaito's pilots, Jonathan realized that there were still some who were afraid and anxious to be in a shooting war. Rookies and even veterans like himself. There was simply no guarantee that all of them would come out of the crisis alive even if it didn't grow into another full-scale war. Erickson's death was a grim reminder of that.

Nevertheless, they still had orders to follow and Jonathan had to spur his crew into high spirits in order to fulfill them.

"I know that none of you were expecting the maiden voyage of this ship to have turned out like this," Jonathan continued. "And some of you are doubting whether you can handle the difficult days to come. But from how I've seen you perform in these past three days, I believe you all have what it takes to fight and win in this new conflict. Honestly, you guys have done better than I expected in these circumstances. So, chin up and keep up the good work, and let's go kick some more Gatlantean butts!"

The entire bridge crew laughed at Jonathan's last line which seemed to lighten the tense atmosphere. Jonathan smiled, pleased that he had successfully cheered up his crew.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen let's get this show on the road," said Jonathan as he took his seat in the captain's chair and began giving out orders. "Lieutenant Commander Welmer, you may retake the helm and input the jump coordinates for our rendezvous with the _Manchester_ and her escorts. Fujimoto prep the engines to go to warp."

"Yes Captain!" replied both officers before they went to their respective stations.

As the bridge crew made the final preparations for warp, Johanna received an incoming transmission from one of the Garmillan ships.

"Captain," said Johanna. "We're being contacted by the _Neu Balgray._ Colonel Berger wants to speak with you."

"Put it through," replied Jonathan.

The large viewscreen soon displayed the visual picture of the _Neu Balgray_'s bridge with Berger and Brandt standing in the middle of it.

"_Commander Lee, before we part ways I want to say bon voyage and good luck!_"

"Thanks Colonel Berger, I wish the same to you too," replied Jonathan with a smile. "Good hunting sir!"

"_And to you too,_" said Berger before he turned his attention to someone else on the _Audacious_' bridge. "_Lieutenant Commander Welmer._"

Anika flinched at her name being called but quickly rose to attention. "Yes sir?"

As she stared at the man on the screen who had helped to destroy the career of the officer she had admired the most, Anika could have almost sworn that there was a subtle look of remorse or even guilt on Berger's face.

_"I just…"_ Berger paused, realizing that this wasn't an appropriate time or place to apologize to her. Especially in front of those who didn't know of the history between the two. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to say something to her.

_"I just want to wish you all the best for your new assignment,"_ said Berger. _"Keep both your fellow Garmillans on that ship comfortable and safe, will you? And try to keep them out of trouble."_

Anika blinked, as she had anticipated a subtly crude or cold remark from Berger. She still blamed him for what had happened but knew she couldn't let her past wounds meddle with her ability to carry out her duty. Especially after Jonathan's efforts to have her cleared. However, the tone of his voice felt… Sincere. Could it be that he had changed after all? But before she could ponder it over, Brandt interrupted her train of thought.

_"Lieutenant Commander Welmer,"_ said Brandt sharply. _"Do you have anything to say?"_

Anika snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied to them both. "Sorry, I mean yes sir. I'll do as you asked Colonel."

"Thank you Major, that will be all," Jonathan said quickly, hoping to end the conversation before it could turn further sour. "We'll contact you later regarding Otto's progress in finding a solution to our tactical problem."

"_Copy that _Audacious_,"_ replied Berger. "_Gharle Garmilon!_"

As the transmission ended, Jonathan sighed discreetly to himself. It would still be a long time before Anika would settle her issues with Berger. But for now, they had more important things to work on.

* * *

In the orbit above Kaldaria 3, the _Audacious_ began to accelerate away from the _Neu Balgray_'s starboard side. The _Graf Deusolbert_ was also taking her leave as the red Gelvades-class battle carrier fired up her engines and made a turn to port with a dozen Garmillan cruisers following her, beginning her hunt for the mysterious mobile space fortress. After the _Audacious_ passed the last of group of Garmillan cruisers that were still patrolling the defense perimeter of the planet, the Andromeda-class battleship fired up her engines to full power and made her jump to warp, ready to tackle the new threats that awaited her in the days to come.

* * *

A/N: _Damn... I can't believe the first major arc of this entire story took THIS LONG to finish! It's almost been more than a year since I started this project and I wasn't expecting how difficult and challenging it was to write. Despite being frustrated with the constant rewrites (most of them were character development scenes which is my weakest point) and editing of these first eighteen chapters, so far I'm pleased at how they turned out. Especially the battle scenes which I been imagining in my crazy head for the past year!  
__With the conclusion of what is essentially the introduction/prologue arc, I would like to ask my readers on how they feel about the characters and the story so far. I know that it is still in its infancy so to speak as there is more content on the way, but I would still like to have feedback before continuing with what I have currently planned for the story in the future. So if you have any thoughts, feel free to type out a review below! _

_As always, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter and look forward to the next one which will start the next arc of the story which will hopefully be released near the end of June... So please be patient till then! Also stay home, stay safe and take care! _


	19. The Condor, the Fledgling and the Nimrod

**Chapter 19 - The Condor, the Fledgling and the Nimrod **

_**November 13th 2204 - Sulrethea Region**_

In the vast empty expanse of space, a large black Zoellugut-class super dreadnought, decorated with the symbols of the ancient Akerius civilization, was being towed by three Kelkapia-class strike cruisers as smoke poured from her wounds from a previous skirmish. Around the giant black super-battleship, nine other ships were guarding the damaged leviathan, including seven Cosmo Navy ships which consisted of the escort frigates _Javelin_, _Monssen_, _Ikazuchi_, and _Shinonome_; the cruiser _Manchester_; the Kongo-class _Thunder-Child_, and finally the _Audacious_ herself. From above, the thirteen ships were screened by six Cosmo Tiger II fighters which provided vital cover from potential strikes from enemy fighter bombers.

* * *

Inside the _Manchester_'s dark CIC, Commander Vivian and his CIC staff were on constant watch over the numerous radars, space sonar, and sensor scopes and displays on their respective consoles. With nearly twenty-five percent increased detection range over the radars of most ships of the Cosmo Navy, the patrol cruiser was the eyes and ears of the entire flotilla.

"Commander, I'm picking up something! Bearing 036. Distance, about 5 light seconds away," reported one of the radar operators. "Possibly distortions of the gravity waves that correlate to ships warping in!"

"Put it on the main panel," ordered Vivian. "Maximum magnification."

On the viewscreen, a dozen jagged-like warp wormhole signatures began to form and spin rapidly just seconds before light-green and white ships made their entrance.

"Unknown contacts have been identified as Gatlantean ships!" cried the radar operator.

"Confirmed!" replied another radar operator. "Two Nasca-class carriers, four cruisers, and fourteen destroyers."

"All hands to level 1 battle stations!" ordered Vivian before turning to his comms officer. "Transmit data link to the other ships and tell Commander Lee that we got company!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Aboard the _Audacious_' bridge, Eddie called out from the radar console to Jonathan regarding the arrival of the enemy ships.

"Captain, we've received the telemetry data from the _Manchester_. We've got a clear and accurate fix on the enemy force!"

"Acknowledged," Jonathan nodded before turning his attention to Anika. "Lieutenant Commander Welmer, put us forward of the _Kerberos_ VII's starboard bow. We need to get between that decommissioned Zoellugut and the enemy fleet."

"Yes Captain," replied Anika before she turned the _Audacious_ to starboard, passing directly overhead the black Garmillan superdreadnought.

"Captain, four Lascaux-class assault cruisers and eight Kukulkan-class assault destroyers are approaching us," reported Eddie. "They'll get into their firing range in less than two minutes at the speed they're going. Also, we're detecting a flight of Deathvatator fighter bombers heading towards us, most likely from the enemy carriers."

"Very well, let's pick most of them off before they get a chance to fire," said Jonathan. "In the meantime, we'll let Osprey Squadron deal with those horseshoe crabs."

"Targets acquired," reported Josiah. "Turrets one and two opening fire!"

* * *

The forward shock cannon turrets of the Andromeda-class battleship began lashing out six blue beams of wave motion energy towards the enemy ships on the horizon in a seamless cycle of three seconds. The Gatlantean ships tried to evade the oncoming shots but their efforts were futile as three Kukulkan destroyers were destroyed in the first minute. Meanwhile in the cockpit of the leader of Osprey Squadron, Kaito Asuka leads a Shotai Formation of three Cosmo Tiger IIs which consisted of Osprey Seven flown by Takagi Mitushiko, and Osprey Eight. Their plan was to fly high above to do a diving attack on the enemy formation of Deathvastators while another Shotai formation led by Konno Yashiro in Osprey Two with Osprey Three and Kazunobu Genta flying Osprey Four as her wingmen, to engage in a head on attack to distract the Deathvatators from the other formation's approach.

"_Osprey Two to Osprey Squadron_," said Konno from her radio. "_Enemy bandits have spotted us and are moving to intercept! They've taken the bait._"

"Copy that Osprey Two," replied Kaito. "We'll start our attack run and hit them before they've got a chance to fire their missiles at you!"

"Osprey Seven to Osprey Squadron," said Mitushiko. "I see six Deathvatator fighter bombers in the lead formation followed by another with five more. I recommend we perform a strafing attack from their rear to maximize damage on both formations in one swoop."

"Good idea Mitushiko," replied Kaito. "Osprey Seven and Eight, follow my wing!"

The three Cosmo Tigers banked to the left and then dove down on their unsuspecting foes like birds of prey, ready to snatch a few fishes from a school near the surface of a shallow lake.

The strafing attack was effective as three out of the five Deathvatators were gunned down by the rapid bursts of pulse lasers from the trio of Cosmo Tiger IIs before the lead formation also suffered two fatalities. As Kaito's Shotai formation pulled out of its attack, two Deathvatators broke from their formations and went after the fleeing Tiger IIs. Before the rest of the Gatlantean spacecraft could absorb what had hit them from behind, a salvo of air-to-air missiles fired from Konno's formation raced towards them from the front, forcing the four remaining Deathvatators to take evasive action. Although only one missile struck home on its target, the psychological effect was enough to make the enemy Gatlantean fighter bombers scatter in panic just as Konno, Genta, and Osprey Three entered into the dogfight frenzy, eager to mark more kills on their scoreboard.

* * *

Back on the _Audacious_, Jonathan continued to observe the battle on the main viewscreen. So far, the battle had proceeded very well in their favor as did the previous engagement a week ago prior to the flotilla being assigned to escort the black Zoellugut. With the addition of the _Manchester_, the _Audacious_ now had complete control over the battlefield as the patrol cruiser was able to identify enemy targets well beyond the Andromeda-class battleship's own radar and sensors with the added ability to track them with impeccable accuracy. This meant that it gave their ship, their allied ships and space fighters more than enough time to react appropriately whenever the Gatlanteans tried to attack their flotilla.

However, this enemy force like the last one they previously encountered, was just a small raiding fleet which didn't have any battleship support unlike their previous engagements they had fought before being attached to the _Manchester_'s group. So far, these two skirmishes had been rather easy and painless. A bit too much for Jonathan's liking.

Speaking of discomfort, Jonathan still couldn't get used to Nerge's presence on the bridge. The former Imperial Guard officer stood beside him on his right without moving a muscle. So far, Nerge hadn't really made much contact with the crew aside from routine visits to Otto's workplace in the analytical lab. Unfortunately, those said visits had somehow traumatized and distracted the poor bespectacled Garmillan officer from his work even if Nerge himself didn't speak that much. However, the crew member that was probably affected the most by Nerge's presence of the ship was none other than the Audacious' comms officer: Johanna Gibson. The poor girl was assigned to report to Nerge whenever his superiors were contacting him to come to the secure comms room to speak with them. Her encounters with the intimidating looking ex-Imperial Guard officer… To sum it up, it had affected her professional work and confidence.

"Enemy fleet now down to five ships and are now opening up their impulse cannons," reported Eddie calmly as several shots from the Gatlantean ships bounced off the wave motion shield of the _Audacious_ harmlessly. "The _Thunder-Child_ and the _Ikazuchi_ are moving in to destroy them."

"Understood," replied Jonathan. "Continue bombardment on the enemy ships and provide cover fire for our allies."

"Roger that," said Josiah as he continued targeting the enemy vessels.

"Honestly, this doesn't feel like much of a challenge does it?" the junior tactical officer added. "Compared to other previous battles at least."

"Be careful of what you wish for Lieutenant Anton," Anika warned. "You may end up eating those words."

Back at the radar console, Eddie noticed something particular from the shared data link with the _Manchester_. One of the Nasca-class carriers had launched an unidentified fighter escorted by two Deathvatators which was now heading towards their task force at high speed.

"Captain, I'm picking up three more hostile spacecraft being launched from one of the enemy carriers," said the radar officer. "One of them is of unknown design."

"Unknown design?" asked Jonathan as his eyes narrowed. Although three new enemy fighters couldn't possibly pose a serious threat to their flotilla, especially since Osprey Squadron was wreaking havoc on most of the previously launched Deathvatator, Jonathan couldn't ignore them.

"Ensign Gibson, contact Osprey Leader. Tell him that there is a possibly new type of Gatlantean fighter entering the combat zone. Send a few of his available pilots to intercept it."

"Yes sir," replied Johanna as she went to contact Kaito.

* * *

In the middle of the dogfight brawl, Konno was busy trying to chase down yet another Deathvatator when suddenly Kaito called her over the radio.

"_Osprey Leader to Osprey Two do you read?_"

"Just a second," replied Konno as she downed her target with a quick burst of pulse lasers. "You were saying?"

"_There's another trio of enemy Gatlantean fighters coming this way,_" Kaito continued. "_Can you three intercept it?_"

"Where?" asked Konno. "Give me a bearing."

"_I see it_," said Osprey Three on her radio. "_Coming in fast at seven o'clock!_"

Sure enough, a trio of Gatlantean fighters were heading towards the brawl at high speed.

"Alright boys," cried Konno. "Osprey Three and Four, form up, let's go and greet those newcomers!"

As Konno swung her Cosmo Tiger II around to get on the tail of the new Gatlantean spacecraft with both Osprey Three and Genta on her wing, she noticed that the middle fighter in the enemy V formation was radically different in appearance compared to the Deathvatators that flew as its wingmen. Instead of having a horseshoe crab design, the new Gatlantean spacecraft had a disc-like shape with a long narrow nose in the front with two sleek forewings on each side. It also had a wedge shaped cut in the rear of the disc-like fuselage which contained the engines with twin stabilizers at the rear edge. And unlike the Deathvatators which were painted in lime green and white, this new fighter was painted almost completely white with either sides of the disk fuselage painted with a pattern of black lines which almost seemed to evoke the feathery wings of an alien bird of prey. It also had a black arrow stripe that went from the tip of the nose to the cockpit with a pair of glaring red diamond-shaped eyes painted on it.

"_Hey, is it just me or is that a new fighter the Gatlanteans got there?_" asked Genta.

"_Who cares. That one is mine!_" cried Osprey Three as his Cosmo Tiger II went after the lead unidentified spacecraft fighter.

In response, the three Gatlantean fighters split up into their own directions with Osprey Two chasing after the new interceptor which had turned to the left.

"Wait hold on!" cried Konno who was about to assist her impulsive wingman but realized that one of the Deathvatators that had broken off from the right was now coming about to attack her.

"Damn it!" Konno cursed to herself. "Osprey Four, stay with Osprey Three's wing. I'll handle the other two Horseshoe Crabs!"

"You got it sister! I'm on it!" replied Genta as he banked his Tiger II left and accelerated to join Osprey Three in hot pursuit of the new canard interceptor's tail.

"Osprey Three, wait for me!" cried Genta as he tried to catch up with Osprey Three.

"Negative!" replied Osprey Three as he struggled to match the violent maneuvers the new interceptor was making. "I got this handled!"

As the enemy interceptor continued jinking left and right, Osprey Three decreased his speed slightly by doing a flat scissors which gave him enough distance for a possible missile shot.

"I have you now!" grinned Osprey Three just as his fire-control radar received a lock.

But a split millisecond later, the enemy interceptor suddenly pulled violently up and performed a Kulbit maneuver which took Osprey Three by complete surprise.

"What!?"

It would prove to be Osprey Three's last words as his fighter was quickly strafed by the multiple pulse lasers that fired from Gatlantean interceptor's nose guns just as his opponent was in the middle of his high vertical loop.

Genta dropped his jaw in shock as he watched Osprey Three's Tiger II burning furiously before exploding into a ball of fire. But before he could mourn the loss of his wingman, the Gatlantean pilot performed a half barrel roll which brought his sleek interceptor right on the chubby pilot's behind, forcing the latter to take evasive action.

"Mayday! Mayday!" screamed Genta as he began jinking his Tiger II violently to evade the enemy interceptor that was trailing behind him. "This is Osprey Two! Osprey Three was taken down by that new Gatlantean fighter! I'm full defensive and need urgent help!"

Back in Osprey Two, Konno was trying to finish off the other Deathvatator when she saw her wingman's plight.

"Hold on Osprey Four," cried Konno as she blew up her target. "I'm coming!"

"It's no good!" moaned Genta as all his efforts to shake loose the enemy interceptor had failed. "He's all over me! I can't shake him off!"

Genta tried to pull a last ditch roll to the right, but the enemy Gatlantean interceptor perfectly out turned his Tiger II and fired a burst of lasers which pepped his right wing and hit his starboard engine.

"I'm hit!" screamed Genta as his Tiger II went into an uncontrollable barrel-roll.

Konno watched powerlessly as the Gatlantean interceptor moved in to deal the killing blow. But before he could fire, another burst of lasers shot near the interceptor's right side from above which forced it to break off its attack and go on the defensive.

Konno looked up and saw a green Cosmo Tiger II diving in with guns blazing.

"_Hold on Osprey Four,_" yelled Kaito on the radio. "_I'm on it! Shut off the starboard engine and try to regain control of your fighter! Osprey Two, watch over him!_"

"Roger!" cried Konno as she flew towards Genta's badly smoking Tiger II that was trying to regain trim.

After several agonizing seconds, Genta's Tiger II stabilized and finally got back into a normal flight path.

"Osprey Four, are you alright?" asked Konno. "What's your status?"

"I'm fine," replied Genta on the radio. "I think I want to puke though…"

"Sorry I couldn't help you in time," apologized Konno. "Wasn't quick enough."

"It's okay," replied Genta. "I don't think it would have made a-"

Suddenly a warning sign flashed up on Genta's dashboard inside the cockpit.

"Uh oh! My portside engine's overheating!"

"Shut it down!" cried Konno.

"I can't!" yelled a hysterical Genta. "My instrument panel is not responding! Engine pressure is rising rapidly! It's going to blow!"

"Eject Genta!" yelled Konno on the radio. "Eject damn it!"

Konno watched as the second engine of Genta's Tiger II caught fire and began to emit more smoke and flames. Seconds later, the cockpit canopy blew open and Genta's seat was ejected just mere moments before the Tiger II exploded in a large fireball which seemed to consume him.

"Osprey Four! Are you there?" cried Konno anxiously as she flew around the cloud of black smoke and debris for any sign of her wingman. "Please respond! Genta!"

Seconds ticked by, but there was only static from the radio.

"No…" Konno bit back tears that were forming in her eyes. She had failed to protect her wingman.

"_Osprey Leader to _Audacious _and _Manchester," came the voice of Kaito on the radio. "_I can't seem to take down this new Gatlantean interceptor. He's making a beeline straight for you guys_."

"_Copy that!_" replied the voice of Commander Vivian from the _Manchester_. "_We'll let the_ Audacious' _AA-defences swat that bug down. Break off your pursuit to avoid friendly fire._"

"_Roger, pulling out now. I hope they can kill it because this guy is as nimble as a dragonfly!_"

Konno gritted her teeth as she glared at the direction the Gatlantean interceptor had gone. With rage building inside her, Konno brought her fighter about and accelerated towards where the Earth and Garmillan warships were grouped together, eager to avenge Genta's demise.

* * *

"Captain, unidentified Gatlantean fighter is now in range of our cluster missiles," reported Eddie on the bridge of the _Audacious_.

"Acknowledged," replied Jonathan grimly before turning to Josiah. "Let him have it!"

Josiah nodded as he unleashed a barrage of cluster missiles from the Andromeda's starboard quad mortar missile launchers. Despite facing nearly twenty-four of these miniature warheads, the Gatlantean interceptor effortlessly flew through them while shooting down a few in the process with its own guns.

"Shit!" cursed Josiah. "It didn't get him!"

"Enemy interceptor is making a run on our ship!" alerted Eddie.

"Fire pulse laser batteries!" barked Jonathan. "Take him out!"

The _Audacious_ opened up the hatches of her multiple pulse laser AA-turrets and let loose a storm of red energy lances at the defiant Gatlantean interceptor. In response, the Gatlantean interceptor dove down and avoided the lower arcs of the pulse lasers' barrage.

"Damn it! He's going right under us!" grumbled Josiah in annoyance. "But it won't matter! Firing dorsal missiles!"

"Hold your fire!" yelled Jonathan. "It's too close! They'll never have time to achieve a positive lock!"

But Jonathan's words came too late, as the lower weapon silo hatches on the bottom of the _Audacious_' hull had opened and released eight missiles which flew toward the Gatlantean interceptor. Predictably, the missiles missed the target, leaving the white disc shaped fighter with black markings to freely pass underneath the Andromeda-class battleship and pull up to attack the Garmillan cruisers that were towing the black Zoellugut.

* * *

In desperation, the three Kelkapia-class strike cruisers fired their positron beams at the Gatlantean interceptor, hoping to shoot it down before it got a chance to strike. But the agile fighter easily dodged the beams which went on to hit the _Audacious_ instead which was thankfully absorbed by the Andromeda's resilient wave motion shields.

"Hold your fire!" cried the Garmillan captain that was commanding the middle Kelkapia-class cruiser. "The Terron battleship is in the firing line behind the target!"

But before the other Garmillan cruisers could respond, the Gatlantean interceptor fired a pair of missiles directly at the bridge, killing the captain and his bridge crew with him in a fiery demise.

* * *

"Good Gosh!" gasped Jonathan in disbelief as he watched the middle cruiser careen out of control and slam onto the left side of her sistership which disengaged both towing cable beams from the Zoellugut.

"Who's flying that thing?" cried Eddie as the they watched the mysterious but deadly Gatlantean fighter strafing the black Zoellugut's forward gun ports and later her thick neck with its guns and two more missiles before peeling off from its stern to harass the other escorting ships as they tried desperately to blast the pesky fighter into oblivion with pulse lasers, positron guns and missiles.

"Damn," muttered Josiah angrily. "Engaging portside pulse laser batteries!"

"Hold your fire damn it!" Jonathan yelled just as the _Audacious_ got struck by another friendly fire hit from a fellow allied ship.

"But sir, we must knock that enemy interceptor down!" argued Josiah just as the escort frigate _Shinonome_ was strafed by the said Gatlantean fighter.

"I know," replied Jonathan who was also frustrated with the current events. "But if you haven't noticed that interceptor is flying way too close to all our allied ships. If we try to use our pulse laser batteries, we might hit a friendly ship by accident."

As if to make Jonathan's point, a stray missile that missed the enemy interceptor flew out of control and exploded on the black Zoellugut's side armor which thankfully did little damage.

"I agree," added Nerge. "That interceptor is just trying to cause chaos among our ships. It may be piloted well but he can't cause any serious damage to the Zoellugut himself as he doesn't have the firepower to do so."

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing," protested Josiah when suddenly another alarm sounded from the radar.

"Sir, we're picking up another space fighter on an intercept course with our fleet," reported Eddie.

"Great," Jonathan groaned. "Is it another Gatlantean interceptor?"

"No, it's one of ours!"

On the tactical display, a friendly IFF signal rapidly approached the clusters of ships. A very familiar IFF signal which made Josiah frown in displeasure.

"Oh no… It's _her_ again!" Josiah grumbled.

"What the heck is Osprey Two doing?" asked Jonathan. "Tell her to back off or else she will be hit by our allied ships!"

"Osprey Two, stay clear of our ships!" warned Johanna on the comms. "I repeat stay clear of our-"

However Johanna was violently interrupted as a high pitch scream of rage yelled back into her ears. "_Die Gatlantean Scum!_"

* * *

Inside the cockpit of Osprey Two, Konno's red eyes burned with rage as she flew straight into the melee of AA pulse laser and shock cannon fire in-between the allied Cosmo Navy and Garmillan warships. She quickly spotted the Gatlantean Interceptor as it flew right behind the _Manchester_ and immediately gave pursuit. Despite her prey's agile weaving and jinking in between all the allied ships and friendly AA-fire, Konno was just barely able to keep on the Gatlantean Interceptor's tail. There were a few moments where Konno thought she had a good lead on the enemy spacecraft fighter. But when she fired her pulse laser guns, the white interceptor would just skid to the left or right which let the lasers fly harmlessly by the fuselage. There was the temptation to switch from guns to missiles, but Konno knew that if she attempted to do so, she might accidentally hit a friendly ship instead.

_Damn this guy is really getting on my nerves!_ Thought Konno gritting her teeth in frustration as the Gatlantean Interceptor continued to counter her every move. _But I won't back down! I won't let my wingmen die for nothing!_

* * *

Back on the _Audacious_, the bridge crew watched the Gatlantean pilot in his white and black nose interceptor buzz pass the bridge windows with Konno's Cosmo Tiger II chasing right behind. Eddie suddenly called out from the radar console.

"Captain, the _Manchester_ is picking another gravity distortion near the enemy carrier battle group! It's much bigger than the others."

"Put it up on the main panel," Jonathan replied. "Maximum magnification!"

On the main viewscreen, another visible Gatlantean warp out was forming. As the newcomer exited out of its warp wormhole, Jonathan nearly froze as he recognized it.

"Calaklum-class," Jonathan muttered to himself, before glaring at his old tormentor.

As he gaze upon the Gatlantean battleship, he noticed something unusual about her. Unlike the previous Calaklums they encountered, this ship was painted in mango orange and dark grey with black markings instead of the standard dark green. Jonathan recalled that during the Battle of Planet 11, the _Yamato_ reported sighting of another Calaklum with that paint scheme pattern but the colors it had were dark grey and white. But before Jonathan could ponder about the meaning behind the radically painted enemy battleship, Nerge interrupted his train of thought.

"Commander Lee, I suggest you eliminate that enemy ship before it fires its super weapon."

Sure enough, the Calaklum began dispersing multiple lighting rotation gun projectors as they began to move into three spiral rings that formed a cone shape of spinning lights with its smallest aperture aimed at the allied flotilla. Jonathan grimaced as he remembered briefly about what went down during the Battle of the 8th Floating Continent when the _Indefatigable_ and other ships of the Cosmo Navy and Garmillas first faced the terror of the Calaklum's super-weapon and its devastating impact on their allied fleet.

"Is the enemy battleship in the range of our shock cannons?" Jonathan asked Josiah.

"Negative!" Josiah shook his head. "We have to close in the distance to get within the maximum range of our main guns."

"Very well, Lieutenant Commander Welmer!"

"I'm on it!" Anika nodded as she turned the _Audacious_ to starboard.

"Ensign Gibson," Jonathan turned his attention to his comm officer. "Inform the _Manchester_ that we're breaking off from the task force to get the enemy ship within firing range of our main guns."

"Aye sir!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside the cockpit of Osprey Two, Konno noticed that the Gatlantean Interceptor had made a beeline straight towards the bow of the Zoellugut and went after him. As the two fighters skimmed just above the surface of the massive black super dreadnought's armoured bow, the Gatlantean pilot fired another missile directly into the third and highest mounted quad positron beam turret of the battleship which exploded in a ball of fire and dove straight into the fire. Sensing a trap, Konno cut power to her engines and flew into the black column of smoke at a slower pace. When she got herself clear, Konno caught a glimpse of the enemy interceptor flying over the saucer command section of the black Zoellugut. Instinctively, Konno chose to fly under the saucer command section, bypassing the thick neck of the super-dreadnought. When she came out of the other side, the Gatlantean interceptor was still flying above and forward of her, seemingly oblivious to Konno's presence.

_He expected me to fly high to avoid the fire and smoke and attempted to ambush me from below_ Konno thought.

As if to confirm her thoughts, the enemy interceptor pulled up in an Immelmann turn, trying to find his determined pursuer. Konno followed to match his maneuver but stayed close below him to stay in his blind spot so she could get her opportunity to finally kill her slippery prey. To prevent him from noticing her presence, she had switched off her fire control radar in order not to alert him.

Halfway through the loop, Konno finally got her guns close to bear on the Gatlantean interceptor. She immediately switched on her fire control sights and fired at her opponent. Caught off guard, the enemy pilot banked hard to the right to avoid being shot to pieces, but a few lasers clipped the left side of his spacecraft, blowing one of its fins off of it.

With smoke trailing from his left side, the Gatlantean pilot made a hasty retreat with Konno in hot pursuit.

* * *

"How long more before the enemy Calaklum fires its lighting rotation cannon?" asked Jonathan as he anxiously watched the enemy Gatlantean battleship begin spinning its rings faster on the viewscreen.

"One minute and twenty-three seconds!" replied Eddie.

"Damn, we're not going to make it!" Jonathan gritted his teeth.

"Captain, we should use the graviton launchers instead!" Josiah called out. "We won't be able to destroy the Calaklum but we can disable it instead."

"Good thinking!" Jonathan nodded in approval. "Anika, reduce speed to 12 space knots! Fujimoto, transfer wave motion energy to graviton launchers! Set burst mode type to detonation!"

"Captain!" cried Eddie from the radar console. "There is a friendly Cosmo Tiger II closing in fast to the predicted blast zone! It's Osprey Two! She's still chasing the Gatlantean Interceptor"

"What!?" exclaimed Jonathan. "Hold your fire! Tell Osprey Two to pull back!"

"Osprey Two, break off your pursuit!" Johanna called out on the comms.

"_Negative Audacious Command_," replied Konno's voice firmly on the radio. "_I almost have him!_"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Josiah in frustration.

"Osprey Two this is the Captain," Jonathan barked. "Withdraw immediately! That's an order lieutenant! Pull back at once!"

"Twenty seconds till the Calaklum has fully charged it's lighting rotation gun!" yelled Eddie. "Fifteen seconds! Fourteen, thirteen-"

As Eddie began counting down, Josiah decided that he had enough and quickly armed the graviton launchers, locked their sights on the Calaklum, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Back in the seat of her Comso Tiger II, Konno chased down the Gatlantean Interceptor like a falcon pursuing a swallow. Although the enemy pilot's spacecraft was damaged and had left the allied flotilla, Konno wouldn't be satisfied until she had finished her enemy. As the chase drew her further away from any allied support, she soon took notice that the enemy interceptor was leading her right towards a large orange and black Gatlantean battleship with three rapidly rotating rings of lights. The Gatlantean interceptor suddenly ignited its engines and accelerated rapidly away from her Cosmo Tiger II, as if daring her to continue the chase into the jaws of the enemy battleship.

"Oh no you don't!" Konno cried as she fired both her air-to-air missiles at the fleeing interceptor, hoping they'd finally finished the job.

Suddenly, the Gatlantean pilot pulled a feint to the right and then dove down to the left, fooling the missiles to shoot off harmlessly into space. Just before Konno could curse at another failed effort to kill her foe, eight very familiar blue pulses of light flew to the right of Konno's cockpit and detonated right in front of the Calaklum, vaporizing the lighting rotation gun formation and striking the enemy battleship with a gigantic white and blue shockwave that was now expanding and heading straight for her Cosmo Tiger II.

Konno's eyes widened in terror as she yanked her stick hard right to avoid the rapidly approaching shockwave that threatened to slam her fragile Cosmo Tiger II and break it into a million pieces. Konno succeeded in making the turn and pushed her engines to full throttle in hope that she could outrun the shockwave. But barely a second later, the wave caught up with her and slammed into the rear of the Cosmo Tiger II. The last thing Konno felt before her head struck the side of the cockpit glass was that her fighter was in an uncontrollable spin before she slipped into darkness.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Audacious_, there was a deafening silence as everyone watched the bright glare of the graviton pulse detonations begin to dim, showing the drifting silhouette of the enemy battleship listing and adrift. On the tactical viewscreen, Osprey Two's IFF signal had disappeared, leaving only the last known position of where her Tiger II was reported. After a long silent pause, Jonathan soon snapped out of his shock and glared at Josiah with both horror and anger.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!?"

Josiah shot back an unapologetic and defiant glare back at Jonathan. "I just saved our lives Captain! You should thank me for taking the initiative!"

Jonathan narrowed his eyes darkly at Josiah.

"Excuse me? _What did you just say?_"

"You heard me," replied Josiah. "That stupid pilot had it coming, her life isn't worth the safety of everyone aboard anyway."

Everyone on the bridge, except Fujimoto and Johann who remained silent and speechless, were aghast at Josiah's blunt reply. He had stepped a line too far.

"Lieutenant Josiah Anton," Jonathan snarled. "You're confined to quarters until further notice! You better pray that Osprey Two survived that blast or else I'll have you ejected out of the airlock to join her!"

"Are you kidding me!?" cried Josiah in disbelief. "You're worried for the life of just-"

"Utter one more word and I'll have you detained in the brig!" Jonathan angrily cut him off. "Do I make myself clear?"

Josiah cursed under his breath and simply nodded his head before leaving the bridge in dissatisfaction.

Jonathan shook his head in dismay at his weapons officer's remarks before turning to his comms officer.

"Ensign Gibson, call the starboard hangar crew to prep a Cosmo Seagull for a search and rescue for Osprey Two and get some fighter support from Osprey Squadron to cover them."

"Yes sir!"

Jonathan turned his attention to Eddie. "Radar, what's the status of the enemy fleet behind the Calaklum?"

"The Gatlantean ships seem to be turning away from the engagement zone," reported Eddie as he monitored his radar screens. "Looks like their carriers are recovering their spacecraft. Should we pursue?"

"That would be up to Commander Vivian's approval," Jonathan glancing to Johanna. "Could you contact the _Manchester_ and ask whether we can finish off the enemy carriers and their remaining escorts before they escape?"

"I'll try sir," replied Johanna as she worked on her station. "Although they seem to be a bit busy. Something about the _Ikazuchi_ picking up one of the downed Osprey Squadron pilots."

"Which one?" asked Jonathan.

"I think it was Osprey Four,"

"Captain! I'm picking up a faint distress signal from the graviton launch impact zone," exclaimed Eddie as Konno Yashiro's IFF signal came back on the tactical plot on the viewscreen. "It's Osprey Two sir!"

"Thank God," Jonathan sighed in relief before lowering his voice with a hint of anger. "Although Miss Yashiro is also going to get punished for this mess."

"Uh oh, guys we got another problem," said Eddie as a familiar enemy signal appeared on the screen. "It's the enemy interceptor! It's heading straight for Osprey Two!"

"Coming back to finish the job eh?" mumbled Fujimoto as he finally broke his silence. "Typical Gatlanteans…"

"Anika, full speed ahead!" yelled Jonathan as he quickly switched weapons control from the tactical console to his. "We need to protect Osprey Two before he gets a chance to strike!"

"Yes sir!"

"Osprey Two, get out of there now!" cried Johanna on the comms console. "The enemy interceptor is coming back! Osprey Two do you copy?"

* * *

Inside the crippled Cosmo Tiger II, Konno slowly regained consciousness as multiple alarms from her instrument panel and the static yelling from Johanna in her headset began to wake her up.

"Eh… What?" she mumbled as she opened her eyelids and looked around.

"_Osprey Two Respond!_" screamed Johanna's voice in her radio set. "_Osprey Two!_"

"Yeah, I hear you…" mumbled Konno as she was still in a daze. "You don't need to shout…"

"_Yes I do_!" yelled Johanna. "_Listen! The enemy interceptor is coming back to kill you! See if you can restart your engines and get the heck out of there!_"

Konno immediately shot up in her seat at the mention of the enemy interceptor. She looked around frantically and to her horror spotted the Gatlantean fighter coming towards her from eleven o'clock from up high. Konno immediately tried switching and activating any of her controls on her instrument panel to see if she could restart her Tiger II.

"Come on! Come on!" cried Konno hysterically as she tried flipping and activating her controls and buttons to see if she could restore power back to her crippled fighter. "No, no, no, no!"

But it was no use, the Cosmo Tiger II was completely disabled. Konno looked up and to her terror saw that the Gatlantean Interceptor was now right on top of her. Its guns' sights seemed to be aimed directly at her head. Konno trembled in terror as she tried to back herself away in her seat from the large white and black spacecraft that now shadowed over hers. She gazed into the cockpit of the interceptor and saw its masked pilot staring back at her with a cold gaze. She couldn't even look away if she tried as she felt like a terrified mouse that had been cornered by an approaching white hawk, waiting for it to inevitably tear her into pieces with its sharp talons. As tears began to well in her eyes, she realized that this was probably it. Gatlanteans never spared their enemies, and she had well-earned this one's personal grudge to come personally face to face and finish her off.

Seconds ticked by, but the Gatlantean fighter didn't pull the trigger.

_What are you waiting for?_ Konno thought as she was at her limit from the sheer tension between her and the enemy pilot. _You got me where you wanted! Why aren't you pulling the trigger?_

But then, the inconceivable happened, the Gatlantean interceptor backed off slowly before it veered away and flew off into the distance.

Konno gasped in deep breaths and let the tears flow down her cheeks, crying in relief that somehow, against all odds, she was spared. The young female pilot hadn't felt this hopeless since-

Suddenly a rumbling roar made Konno jump in her seat. Looking to the source of the sound, she saw that the enemy Calaklum had restarted its engines and was making its hasty retreat back to the rest of the Gatlantean ships just before a few salvos of shock cannons grazed it's damaged hull. As she continued to watch, the orange and black Gatlantean battleship jumped into warp and disappeared to wherever it came from followed by the remaining Gatlantean ships which also took their leave.

"_Osprey Two do you copy?_" came a familiar voice on the radio. "_Osprey Two respond, over?_"

Konno looked forward and saw Kaito's green Cosmo Tiger II coming towards her with a Cosmo Seagull transport right behind him.

"Osprey Leader," Konno muttered as she wiped her tears off her cheek. "I'm okay, thank you for-

"_You idiot!_" Kaito's voice yelled angrily at her. "_What the heck do you think you were doing!? You could have gotten yourself killed!_"

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," mumbled a remorseful Konno.

Inside the green and white Cosmo Tiger II, Kaito sighed, although he was impressed by Konno's ability to follow and match the maneuvers of that nimble Gatlantean interceptor, she still had much to learn.

"Save your apologies for later," sighed Kaito. "It's not just me who you should be apologizing to."

* * *

Inside the captain's office, both Konno and Josiah felt a sense of déjà vu as they were yet again brought in front of their senior officers. Kaito stood glaring daggers at both junior officers while Jonathan on the other hand had his back to them while he talked to Commander Vivian on the computer with a headset at his desk.

"Yes Commander, I'm sorry we weren't able to destroy the Calaklum before it made its escape," Jonathan sighed before continuing his conversation with his superior "Look, I had to make sure that my pilot wasn't killed in another friendly crossfire."

Jonathan turned briefly to shoot an angry glance at a remorseful Konno and an indignant Josiah who both tried their best not to look away from their captain.

"Yeah! Yeah! I know Jacob. Don't worry, I'll make sure that the pilot and my tactical officer will be appropriately punished. I'll call you back later once I deal with these hotshots. Goodbye!"

Jonathan terminated the call and sighed in disgust. "Why did my crew have to have two reckless, impulsive, arrogant, glory hunting morons!?"

Josiah immediately tried to defend his actions. "Captain I-"

"Silence!" Jonathan snapped as he turned his attention to both of his junior subordinates which caused both to flinch.

Jonathan took a deep breath and calmed himself before turning his attention to Konno.

"Look, as much as I appreciate your efforts in driving that new Gatlantean fighter out of our flotilla from causing more chaos, I do not tolerate disobeying a direct order and unnecessarily putting your own life in needless danger! There was no need to chase that enemy interceptor all the way back to its own fleet! If you had flown closer to the Calaklum, you could have easily been killed from the detonation of the graviton launchers!"

"Yes Captain," said Konno as she bowed her head lower in shame. "I have no excuses for what I did. But I just wanted to avenge the death of my pilots I had under my command."

"And does that require you to needlessly get yourself killed in the process?" asked Kaito.

"No… I'm really sorry…"

"Oh you better be!" Josiah fumed. "This is the second time you got in the way of my job! Honestly, we had everything under control until you Little Miss Tunnel Vision had to intervene!"

"Under control?" Konno, forgetting her guilt and turning to shoot back an angry glare back at Josiah. "Oh yeah, I see you were doing fine in failing miserably to shoot down one enemy interceptor! If it hadn't been for me, that fighter could have crippled more Garmillan ships and possibly one of our frigates too!"

"Says the pilot who got in the way of letting me save everyone's necks from being blasted to kingdom come by that Gatlantean battleship's lighting rotation gun!" argued Josiah. "After all-"

"That's enough!" Jonathan yelled, hoping to cut their argument short. "Both of you!"

"Captain, if that damn bird screws up yet again like how she did today, people will die!" protested Josiah.

"Damn it Anton, who do you think you're talking too!?" replied Jonathan angrily. "Of course, I'm weary about the lives at stake on both this ship and our allies twenty-four hours a day! Do you think that just because you made the correct tactical decision it gives you the right to say who lives or dies?"

"Yes, I do!" Josiah shot back.

"Oh really? Do you?" Jonathan asked. "Can you really accept that judgement? Especially if you had to go and personally tell their parents that you let their son and daughter die because you thought that person was expendable? Are you willing to make such a cold decision and live with the consequences just like that?"

Josiah stopped, as he was unable to answer Jonathan's question.

"Anyway," said Jonathan, adjusting his glasses before focusing his attention also to Konno. "As much as I really want to confine you both to quarters for the rest of the voyage, like how the late Captain Erickson promised. Since we're running in wartime conditions and are short on people, you'll be both assigned to janitor duty instead for the rest of the week."

"Also," Kaito added while glaring at Josiah. "Both of you will be working together!"

At that moment both Josiah and Konno's faces went red with rage and anger. But just as their mouths were about to open for them to protest furiously at that sentence, Kaito beat them to the punch.

"Shut it! I know what you two idiots are going to say," said Kaito firmly before breaking into a sarcastic tone. "Something along the lines of 'Absolutely Not!' or 'Why do I have to work with this trigger happy idiot?'"

Konno's jaw dropped at her SO's near perfect mimicking of her voice and turned red with embarrassment.

"Or maybe even 'I rather be detained in my quarters then spend the entire week working with her!'" continued Kaito dramatically in Josiah's voice as the said weapons officer looked away in extreme awkwardness and embarrassment.

"Am I not correct?" asked Kaito as he slipped back to his normal self.

Konno and Josiah were unable to answer as both were now either fidgeting or avoiding eye contact with their SOs as they realized how stupid they were when arguing in front of their SOs.

Jonathan, having recovered from his bewilderment, cleared his throat. "In any case, I suggest you start heading off to the starboard hangar bay and get to work! I already told the petty officer in charge that you were coming in ten minutes time. You better get going now."

"Yes sir," replied both junior officers as they shared a look of resentment and reluctance before turning to leave the room.

After Konno and Josiah left, both Jonathan and Kaito let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Good Gosh, I'm at my wits ends dealing with Josiah," mumbled Jonathan. "He's proven to be a good tactical officer, but his lack of respect for others is just unbearable!"

"I could say the same for myself with Miss Yashiro," grumbled Kaito in agreement. "She's an extremely gifted pilot but she's too reckless and needs to have some tactical awareness! But at least she is polite and caring to others… She was really concerned whether her wingman was safe and sound when she came back onboard."

"Speaking of which, how is he?" asked Jonathan. "His name was… Lieutenant… Erm…"

"Genta, Kazunobu Genta," answered Kaito. "He's fine, a couple of bruises, a swollen and twisted elbow, his flight suit was burnt but thankfully not damaged enough to be compromised to the elements of space. Unfortunately, he'll be in the medical bay for at least a week till he fully recovers."

"That's a relief," Jonathan sighed. "But this means Osprey Squadron is now down to eight active pilots. Damn it! If only we could get an additional squadron aboard the _Audacious_ to provide enough air cover."

"It could have been worse Jonathan," said Kaito as his expression hardened. "If that Gatlantean Interceptor had chosen to attack the rest of our pilots instead of the flotilla... I think the squadron would have suffered more losses."

Jonathan turned to Kaito with a concerned look on his face. "Was it really that good? That new space fighter I mean."

"Yes," replied Kaito with a grim expression on his face. "I've never seen any spacecraft fighter move that fast or that nimbly from either Earth or Garmillas. Turns sharper and faster than the usual Deathvatators. Though its speed was still on par with a Cosmo Tiger II, its acceleration was quicker. However, considering Lieutenant Yashiro was barely able to match the maneuvers of that new enemy spacecraft, I think it was also down to pilot skill too. So who knows, maybe other pilots that are better in terms of raw flying skill and talent might be enough to match it."

"I hope so," replied Jonathan as he looked back at the computer screen where he pulled up a snapshot of the enemy interceptor taken by one of their cameras. "Or else we'll have another problem to deal with aside from those Gatlantean stealth ships which we still haven't been able to develop the means to detect or to counter them. Seriously though, how are these Gatlanteans upgrading their tech so efficiently? What else do they have hiding up their sleeve?"

Before Kaito could reply, the intercom inside the room began buzzing. Jonathan quickly transferred the call to his computer and answered it. "Commander Lee here, who is it?"

"_Sorry to bother you Jonathan_," replied Anika's voice. "_It's me, Captain Nerge wants us to meet in the comms and radio room. It's General Dolmen, he has something to discuss with us_."

"Okay," replied Jonathan. "Tell him that I'm on my way."

After switching off the call, Jonathan stood up from his chair and apologized to Kaito.

"Sorry Kaito, duty calls. In the meantime, could you send me your report regarding the new Gatlantean space fighter? The Garmillas High Command and the Earth Federation would want to learn about it before that thing begins massacring our fighters like the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot of the old Pacific War!"

"Sure, I'll send it to you once it's done," replied Kaito as he turned to leave the captain's office. "I'll probably get Konno's too once she's on break from her janitor duty."

"Thanks," replied Jonathan. "Be seeing you later!"

* * *

A/N: _Hey guys, as promised the 19th chapter of my story has been released near the end of June! This one was a pretty fun one to write (especially when I'm listening to the song Sol Squadron from the Ace Combat 7 soundtrack at the same time XD) as I got to reintroduce a classical mecha/ship/fighter from the original Space Battleship Yamato series: The Gatlantean space-superiority fighter Eater II!  
It was first seen in the film _Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato_ and later in the TV series _Yamato 2/Comet Empire_ alongside the original Deathvatator and another Gatlantean space fighter but didn't return for the remake in Yamato 2202.  
The idea of reintroducing the classical space interceptor came about when I realize that there was clear need to give Gatlantis a space fighter that could match or counter the Cosmo Tiger II and the Garmillas' DWG 262s and DWG 109 fighters as it was clear that the Deathvatators just wasn't adequate enough to match it's rivals in combat. Especially since it was suggested that the fighters squadrons of Tiger IIs from both the _Antares _and to a certain degree the ill-fated _Apollo Norm_ somehow survived to little or no losses against the Gatlanteans' Deathvatators during the Battle of Saturn and later the Battle of the Mars Final Defensive Zone.  
__However, since the name Eater is already taken in Yamato 2202 in the form of the swordships that Gatlantis uses and to avoid confusion with said Eater I, the formerly named Eater II will be renamed Condor after the bird of prey.  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this action packed chapter and look forward to the next one in two or three week's time!  
_


	20. Operation Carrier Pigeon

**Chapter 20 - Operation Carrier Pigeon**

Entering inside one of the comm rooms, Jonathan saw that both Anika and Nerge were already in a call with General Dolmen and Commander Vivian, whose images were on the viewscreen.

"Commander Lee, you're thirty-five seconds late," said Nerge flatly.

"Sorry Captain Nerge," apologized Jonathan, trying not to gaze into the ex-Imperial Guard officer's cold stare. "I had a few rowdy junior officers to deal with in the captain's quarters, so it took awhile to get here."

Jonathan took his seat in front of the screen and saluted General Dolmen and Commander Vivian.

"General Dolmen, Commander Vivian, good to see both of you sir!"

"_You too Commander,_" replied Vivian in return. "_I trust you've settled the matter with your junior officers._"

"Yes Commander, I certainly have," replied Jonathan before he noticed General Dolmen's image suddenly fizzle out for a few seconds.

"Whoa, what the?" stuttered Jonathan, before frowning. "Er General the transmission is-."

"_Unstable? Yes, I know_," said Dolmen. "_If you're wondering why, the Gatlanteans have recently been hitting our subspace radio relay stations across our territory. Long range communications in several regions of space in the LMC have been either completely terminated or are just not stable enough for a stable call to other ships or bases._"

"Oh Thank God," sighed Jonathan in relief. "I thought my comms system aboard the _Audacious_ was busted again after we just fixed it three weeks ago. Damn, these Gatlanteans are not fooling around. Especially with that new spacecraft interceptor of theirs."

"_New interceptor?_"" asked Dolmen.

"We just recently had another skirmish with the Gatlanteans," answered Jonathan. "We'll file in the post-action report later to you."

"_I see,_" replied Dolmen. "_Well I look forward to reading it later._"

"_Indeed_," added Vivian. "_You should look into it because that new fighter might prove to be a new problem for us to deal with. However, I believe you aren't calling us just to talk about the Gatlanteans bombing our interstellar communications arrays are you?_"

"_No, I'm certainly not,_" Dolmen confirmed. "_As you are well aware, we've been trying to gather data and information regarding the Gatlanteans' stealth attacks on our ships and space outposts. So far, we've received reports of at least five more similar attacks in the last two weeks. The most recent one being an infiltration attack at the fleet stationed at Planet Haizerado where one of our Gaiderol-class battleships in orbital anchorage, the _Königseiche_, was destroyed in a surprise torpedo attack last night_."

"Haizerado?" gasped Anika. "That's one of our most secure astro naval bases in the LMC! Just a couple of light years away from the Salazar System!"

"_Indeed_," said Dolmen grimly. "_As a result of this new attack, Grand Admiral Dietz recently announced a deadline to all their weapons analysts and technical consultants for a definite solution to counter the Gatlanteans' stealth ships in three days minimum. Top brass is especially desperate after yesterday's fiasco at Haizerado. If we can't find a countermeasure soon, it won't be long before the Gatlanteans can strike at Great Garmillas itself. That is something we cannot allow to happen_."

"Of course," replied Nerge. "I'll inform the Sub Lieutenant that time is of the essence."

Jonathan grimaced at Nerge's last words which the latter took notice of.

Nerge raised his eyebrow at Jonathan. "Is there something wrong Commander?"

"No Captain Nerge," Jonathan replied nervously as the ex-Imperial Guard officer gazed at him with the eyes of a hawk. "But with all due respect, Sub Lieutenant Geiszler wouldn't react well if you pressure him to increase his pace of his investigation. He is already pretty stressed since you've constantly been visiting him in the analytical lab every day for results and I don't think he'll take it well if you-"

Jonathan gulped nervously as Nerge gazed coldly at him. "Told him personally about this… New deadline that Admiral Dietz has given?"

"Basically," Anika quickly intervened. "Sub Lieutenant Geiszler doesn't perform well under high stress. Hence it would be better if someone closer to him would tell him about it?"

Anika turned to Jonathan with an expectant look. "Right?"

"Yeah, right," replied Jonathan quickly. "That's what I was going to say… With your permission sir..."

Nerge eyed Jonathan and Anika carefully before answering the two nervous officers. "Very well, if it seems that my presence intimidates Mr Geiszler too much, Lieutenant Commander Welmer may deliver the news to him instead."

"Thank you sir," replied Anika politely.

General Dolmen cleared his throat to bring the trio back to the topic. "_By the way, there might be some good news for your young Garmillan technical consultant. One of our carrier strike groups, led by the astro battle carrier _Neu Lambea_, has recently acquired data from one of the picket radar sensor stations that was attacked by the Gatlantean stealth vessels in sector NGC 1848. Before the station's staff was killed, they claimed they had vital information that could detect the enemy's stealth vessels. Unfortunately, the crew of the _Neu Lambea _couldn't decipher or figure out the data they received, nor could they transmit the rest of the data to the rest of the fleet._"

"Why?" asked Jonathan. "Were their comms jammed?"

_"No, not on this occasion,_" answered Dolmen. "_The wide area of space the _Neu Lambea_ is currently in has most of its communication arrays destroyed so she can't transmit the data to the rest of the fleet and our bases as the feed is too unstable to send such large data files. In addition, she is assigned to a top priority mission in the Reuyama Sector to search and destroy any Gatlantean raiding fleets in coordination with Berger's fleet. Hence, I can't divert her from her main mission objective to pass the information to any friendly bases or ships_."

"_And how does this involve the_ Manchester/Audacious_ task force?_" asked Vivian.

"_Your flotilla is the closest allied task force to the 2nd Crimson Camaraderie Carrier Group's route,_" replied Dolmen. "_From your current course and position, it will easily take one or two warp jumps for one of your ships to rendezvous with the _Neu Lambea _at a secure location near her course to the Reuyama Sector. Upon reaching that location, the _Neu Lambea_ can transmit her data to the said vessel and later it can distribute to the rest of our forces for analysis and decryption. I'm sending you the coordinates now over a secure frequency, you should have received it by now._"

At that moment, a notification came up showing a coded message sent from Dolmen's flagship. After it was soon decoded and everyone had looked into it, both Jonathan and Vivian were eager to accept the mission from Dolmen.

"_Looks not too far off_," commented Vivian. "_I can divert one of our frigates to_-"

"I'm sorry Commander Vivian, but that will not be possible," interrupted Nerge. "We cannot afford to release any of our ships at the expense of our current mission objective."

Jonathan and Vivian were surprised at Nerge's objection.

"But Captain Nerge," protested Jonathan. "It's just a decommissioned Zoellugut that we're escorting which has no value in this new conflict. I think we could afford to let loose one of our smaller ships from our battle group to get the data."

"_I agree_," replied Vivian. "_I see no reason not to._"

"I'm sorry Commanders but this proposal cannot be accepted!" Nerge was unrelenting in his stance. "With the damage and losses from our previous attack, we cannot afford to let a single ship be given leave from the task force until our prize has reached its destination safely. Under no circumstances are we allowed to let the _Kerberos_ VI be further damaged by Gatlanteans."

"_And why may I ask?_" General Dolmen frowned at Nerge's stance towards his request.

"This decommissioned Zoellugut is headed for the shipyards at Voss to undergo a special refit in store for her," Nerge answered firmly as his eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you will understand why that ship needs to arrive at its destination intact, General."

Dolmen's eyes lit up in recognition before lowering his head in defeat, sighing. "_Oh… I see. I guess it couldn't be helped. I'm sorry Commanders, but you'll have to proceed with your current mission as planned. I'll check if there is another allied ship that can take over the assignment._"

Jonathan and Anika were dumbstruck by how easily the Garmillan general submitted to Nerge's demands.

_Are you kidding me!?_ Jonathan thought with bewilderment and fury, but wisely held his tongue.

"_Of course, General_," replied Vivian, who was also perplexed. "_We'll just pass over the post-battle report regarding our skirmish with the Gatlanteans and their new interceptor of theirs._"

"_Very well Commander Vivian,_" replied Dolmen. "_I'll let you know of any updates regarding the info that the _Neu Lambea _has brought. Lieutenant Commander Welmer, please also make sure that Sub Lieutenant Geiszler is informed about the deadline and ask for progress on his work._"

"Yes General, I'll see that it will be done," replied Anika.

"Very well, carry on with your duty," said Dolmen. "_Gharle Garmillon!_"

"Gharle Garmillon," replied both Anika and Nerge just before the call was terminated.

As Nerge turned to leave the comms room, Jonathan angrily turned to confront him. "What was that!?"

Nerge turned to face Jonathan which put the younger Earth captain back into his place as the latter was confronted by his cold gaze. "What was what Commander Lee?"

Despite being intimidated by Nerge, Jonathan chose to remain firm to question the Garmillan observers' bizarre actions. "Convincing General Dolmen to cancel his request to send a ship to meet up with the _Neu Lambea_! One deactivated Zoellugut-class super dreadnought is not worth giving up crucial time to collection vital info to combat the Gatlantean threat!"

"Well it is," replied Nerge flatly. "As confused as you are Commander Lee, I can assure you that ship is vital to securing the future of Garmillas."

"Really?" said Jonathan. "I don't see how a newly refitted Zoellugut would be that beneficial. Especially since you're working on newer and more powerful ships to replace them, including those modified Garmillan-designed Andromedas we supplied you back in the previous war I might add."

"Maybe it isn't a typical modernization project," added Anika thoughtfully as she recalled that other old Garmillan battleships had been retrofitted into experimental ships. "You said 'A special refit'. Just what exactly is top brass planning to do with that ship? Another testbed platform for experimental technology or weapons?"

Nerge frowned, stepped forward to both Jonathan and Anika and answered in a quiet but commanding manner. "The refit that is to be done to the Zoellugut-class ship is none of your concern."

Jonathan clenched his fists in dissatisfaction but knew he couldn't object any further to the towering Garmillan Intelligence officer.

"As you wish, Captain Nerge."

"Good," Nerge replied before he exited the comms room, leaving behind a disgruntled Jonathan and a confused but curious Anika behind.

* * *

"Ugh! Damn him!" muttered Jonathan angrily in the wardroom as he ate his lunch with both Anika and Kaito. "Who does Nerge think he is!? I don't care if anyone claims that ex-Imperial Guard Officers no longer possess power to overrule the authority of people that have higher ranks, because what he did today seems to contradict that statement!"

"It can't be helped," said Anika as she used a fork to gobble up a slice of carrot. "Officers of the Intelligence Security Bureau do have the power to push over the authority of normal Army and Navy officers in the Garmillan Military depending on their superior's orders to them per the mission."

"I guess," sighed Jonathan in frustration. "But I have to say that his dry attitude towards everything is really getting on my nerves! He's practically a Garmillan robot with a terrible bedside manner!"

"I agree," added Kaito as he scooped up some rice with curry into his mouth. "Just recently after that incident with Konno, Mr Nerge lectured me about how my pilots' flying skills were both 'reckless and unprofessional'!"

"Oh yeah," muttered Anika. "I was a witness to that incident. I believe one of the pilots, I think it was Mitushiko, nearly lunged at him as he was particularly insulted. Good thing I managed to intervene in time."

Jonathan took off his glasses, banged his head on the table and groaned in distress.

"Jonathan?" asked Anika in concern. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, never better," mumbled Jonathan sarcastically.

Jonathan sat up straight in his chair and put back on his glass before letting out a sigh.

"You know, although I initially pleaded for your probation just to repay my debt to you," Jonathan turned to Anika with a tired but grateful smile. "I'm really glad you're onboard to be the Garmillan mediator on this voyage."

Anika smiled in return. "No problem, always happy to help."

Kaito took a glance at Anika as she took a sip from her cup, noticing a slight blush on her checks. Instinctively, he began to grin mischievously at the two but decided to keep it to himself for now.

"By the way," asked Jonathan as he resumed eating his lunch. "How's life living with that new roommate of yours?"

"Oh Miss Gibson?" replied Anika as she put her cup down. "She's shy and a bit nervous but I think she's gotten used to my company. It took her for a while to accept that an-"

Anika paused as she nervously brought up the word. "An alien was her bunkmate, even though we Zaltis resemble very closely to humans."

"Well that's to be expected," said Jonathan. "I remember how shocked I was to discover that Zaltis look so alike to us. It's like seeing doppelgangers from space. No offense."

"None taken," said Anika. "Either way, I'm glad things between myself and Miss Gibson aren't so tense now especially now that she constantly has to deal with Captain Nerge and complains about him to me all the time…"

"Oh yeah," Jonathan shuddered in dread as he thought about Johanna's situation. "Poor girl, I hope you can calm her down and teach her how to handle our guest."

"Tell me about it," muttered Anika. "Hopefully I can eventually be friends with her. She doesn't seem to have any with this crew."

"Well she's a newly graduated ensign, so she's bound to be nervous in her first voyage away from home," added Kaito. "But now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing Ensign Gibson interacting with any of the younger crew members. In fact, I think she usually eats in the mess hall alone."

"Is that so?" said Jonathan as he tapped his fork on the table in thought. "Perhaps she's an introvert or maybe she needs a little bit more courage to speak to new people."

"Perhaps she needs more time," added Anika with a thoughtful look on her face. "I remember there was an academy classmate of mine that used to stay isolated from the rest of the class. It wasn't until four months later that a few classmates and I managed to befriend her, and she eventually got more comfortable and confident with interacting with her own peers and officers alike."

"Huh, maybe you're right," replied Jonathan. "Hopefully Ensign Gibson eventually finds someone to talk to aside from you because it isn't nice to feel alone especially on a ship this big."

"If I may," asked Kaito. "What sort of disagreement did you have with Mr Nerge this time around?"

Jonathan let out a sigh of discontentment before answering. "Recently, one of the Crimson Camaraderie Carriers retrieved vital info that might help us to detect and hopefully track down the Gatlantean stealth ships. Since we're the closest group to their mission route, General Dolmen requested for one of our ships to go rendezvous with the _Neu Lambea_'s battle group and pick it up."

"Huh. But in that case, why can't they upload the info via the fleet network instead?" questioned Kaito. "I see no need to send one of our ships to meet up and get the info directly from them."

"Unfortunately they can't," replied Anika. "The problem is that the communications arrays in the area of space the _Neu Lambea_ is in have been mostly destroyed or damaged by attacks from Gatlantis. So, they can't upload the data. Worse still she can't even go to meet up with another task force as she's urgently needed in the Reuyama Sector due to the fleet being so thinly spread."

"And Captain Nerge forced him to cancel the order," Kaito finished.

"Yes," grumbled Jonathan as he folded his arms. "Honestly, I don't understand what the fuss is about escorting one damn decommissioned Zoellugut-class super dreadnought to the shipyards of Planet Voss especially when the entire Garmillas fleet desperately needs the info."

"Did you ask him why?"

"Yes, I did," Jonathan sighed. "But he refused to tell me why! Possibly because it's classified or 'If I told you, I'll probably have to kill you', that kind of crap."

As Jonathan leaned back in his chair and continued to grumble in displeasure, Kaito wondered what sort of importance could warrant the escorts of the Zoellugut to stay close regardless of any circumstances till the end of its journey, especially since there were more pressing problems to deal with. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind.

"Hey Anika," asked Kaito. "How far exactly is the proposed rendezvous point for one of our ships to meet up with the _Neu Lambea_?"

"About fifteen to eighteen light years I think," answered Anika. "Why do you ask?"

"Well if we can't send one of our escort frigates or any of the Garmillan ships we've got here, why not use a Cosmo Tiger II with that new warp booster instead?"

Jonathan and Anika both gawked at the Cosmo Tiger II squadron leader.

"Wait, what new warp booster?" asked Jonathan as he stared hard at Kaito.

"Erm, the one that we've been keeping in storage in the starboard hangar?" explained Kaito awkwardly.

Jonathan made no effort to hide his bewilderment. "Since when did we have that!?"

"Ever since the start of the voyage," replied Kaito with a sheepish smile on his face. "Well to be fair, it was meant to be tested out during the _Audacious_' trial runs but I didn't have time to give it a shakedown because the ship was suddenly assigned to take part in the Interstellar Bilateral Exercise. Didn't Fujimoto or Captain Erickson inform you about it? "

"Well no, this was the first time I heard about it," replied Jonathan. "Besides, I was only assigned to the ship after the first trial runs of the _Audacious_ were completed."

"Excuse me Kaito," asked Anika. "What exactly is a warp booster?"

"It's basically a miniaturized detachable warp engine for our space fighters," explained Kaito. "We developed it before the War Against Gatlantis to give our fighters extra range to perform as long-range scouts in dangerous territories ahead of our fleets. The _Yamato_'s fighter corps was the first to test and use it in combat."

"Interesting," murmured Anika. "Sounds like we Garmillans could use such a device for our fighters. But I think we're better off with SMITE teleportation instead. It's more convenient and less cumbersome to handle although you do need a spotter aircraft for precise long-range jumps."

Jonathan's mood went quiet and solemn at the mention of SMITE technology. Kaito soon noticed the young captain's sullen expression.

"Captain? Is there something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," replied Jonathan as he forced a smile before switching back to the main subject. "By the way Kaito, about that idea of using a Cosmo Tiger II with a warp booster. Are you sure that's a feasible alternative? Because if I recall, warp boosters are only limited to two jumps and they don't have the range for the mission."

"Oh don't worry Jonathan," reassured Kaito with a grin on his face. "The one we have on board is a brand-new model that is able to perform at least eight jumps maximum and has a wave motion core that is powerful enough to run an old Mursuame-class cruiser. It may be slightly smaller than the old unit, but it's more efficient and reusable! Courtesy of the developments made inside the Time Fault Factory!"

"Of course," Jonathan chuckled. "That time cheating zone where technological advancements happen ten times faster in normal time… I should have known…"

"Yup, shame it's closed for good thanks to the influence of the _Yamato_'s crew," lamented Kaito. "It would have done more wonders for our arsenal of weapons!"

"That's probably for the better…" Jonathan muttered quietly with a grim look on his face before quickly going back to Kaito's alternative plan. "I guess the idea of using a Cosmo Tiger II with an improved Warp Booster could really work. It has low risk in terms of personnel involved and it won't attract much attention from the enemy compared to a full-sized destroyer or frigate."

"The problem is that we need a crew of two to get to the info," added Anika. "One of which should be Sub Lieutenant Geiszler who should personally pick up the data."

"Good idea," agreed Jonathan. "Otto should go as he is our technical advisor and analyst. The faster he gets the data, the sooner he would be able to find a solution to our problem with those Gatlantean stealth ships. Now we just need a pilot for the- Hang on a second!"

Jonathan paused, realizing there was one technical problem they had with their plan.

"Do we have any double seat variants in the main hangar?" Jonathan asked Kaito. "Your proposal won't work if we don't."

"We do have four but I don't think Sub Lieutenant Geiszler would enjoy sitting in the rear gun turret seat especially during a long flight…" answered Kaito as he put his hand on his chin as he considered their options. "Actually, I think the spare Cosmo Tiger IIB model that we also have might be the best option for the mission as it does have a proper rear seat in the cockpit."

"The torpedo bomber variant?" asked Jonathan in surprise.

"Yeah, we have that too," replied Kaito. "It was brought on board after I asked a favor from one of my friends that served on the late _Apollo Norm_ to lend me one for the exercise. I wanted to train my pilots on how to handle that attacker, but I haven't been given an opportunity to use it yet."

"Huh, I guess that torpedo bomber could do," said Jonathan. "But that also means we also need to find a gunner for the turret. Who among your pilots are qualified to fly it?"

"It's a pretty easy spacecraft to handle," Kaito answered. "But for a long mission like this one, there are only two in my squadron who are best qualified to use it."

"Which ones?"

"Well there is Lieutenant Kazunobu Genta, callsign Osprey Four. But he's out of the question as he's still recovering in the medic bay due to his injuries in the recent battle. The other is-"

At that moment, the door to the wardroom slid open and in came Konno and Josiah who were still on janitor duty and arguing.

"I told you we shouldn't have started with the starboard auxiliary hangar!" protested Josiah. "That area takes more than an hour to clean up!"

"Well I'm sorry that you missed your lunch time," retorted Konno. "It was easier than working in the starboard forward torpedo-"

Both of them froze in horror and gawked when they finally noticed Jonathan, Anika and Kaito giving deadpan glares at them.

"Oh, sorry Sirs and Madam!" both of them quickly apologized.

"Didn't know you were here Flight Leader!" stuttered Konno. "Sorry for disturbing you! We'll just move on to the next area!"

"Indeed, I hope the two of you haven't caused any further disturbances for the rest of the crew," said Kaito as he narrowed his eyes.

Josiah and Konno began shifting their eyes away from their superiors with the former whistling in obvious denial and quickly scrambled out of the wardroom before their superiors could further inquire on what shenanigans they had caused behind their backs.

Kaito and Jonathan sighed after the two had left.

"Back to the subject," Kaito groaned before continuing. "Lieutenant Yashiro is the only other pilot who can fly the Tiger IIB Attacker. If she wasn't on janitor duty for the entire day, I might have just selected her on the spot. Perhaps I should fly in her stead."

"No, I won't allow it," replied Jonathan firmly. "I need you on board to watch over the rest of the pilots. Especially to prevent more incidents between the two."

"I agree," added Anika. "We need to establish a bit more discipline on the rookie crew members. Although I wish we could all figure out how to make those two work together without being at each other's throats."

Just then, Jonathan's face lit up as an idea popped into his head. He quickly left his seat on the table and rushed to grab at an info tablet to look up on the _Audacious_' crew manifest.

"Jonathan is there something wrong?" asked Anika.

Jonathan didn't answer as he searched through the list of crew members and found Josiah's career profile. Looking through his career and skills, he finally found what he was looking for.

"Well, well, well," Jonathan grinned to himself as he adjusted his glasses. "Look what we have here."

"What is it Jonathan?" asked Kaito.

Jonathan continued to grin mischievously to himself as he answered Kaito. "An opportunity and a solution that might be able to solve both our problems!"

Jonathan handed over the data tablet to Kaito and pointed out a key fact he found out about Josiah's training in the academy.

Kaito looked at it closely with a confused expression but soon found what Jonathan had seen.

"Interesting…" said Kaito to himself. "'Proficient as a rear seat gunner of a Cosmo Tiger II bomber variant.' Wait, you're not suggesting that-"

"Yes I am," replied Jonathan. "Look, I know It's risky to have them both together in this mission, but if Josiah gets the opportunity to be in the backseat of a space fighter and experience what it's like for pilots like Konno. Perhaps he'll see her in a different light and be less critical about her in the future."

"Er Jonathan," said Kaito as he proceeded to correct him. "Technically it's not really the full-pilot experience but more of a backseat ride. But I can see your point."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Anika with a doubtful expression on her face. "Especially with those two in a confined space torpedo bomber? You do also realize that Otto will be in the middle of those two and he won't like being in-between their spat."

"Exactly," replied Jonathan. "They need to learn that their bickering not only affects the mission but also others around them. And what better way than to use a nervous Garmillan officer for that lesson? In fact, I think it may also be a good opportunity for Otto to step up his courage and speak up more for himself."

Anika sighed, although she was uncomfortable with Jonathan's idea, she could see the benefits of his reasoning. "Alright Jonathan, we'll go ahead with your plan. I just hope it'll work for all our sakes."

* * *

Two hours later in the pilots' meeting room, Konno and Josiah found themselves sitting together against their will with a nervous and awkward Otto sitting in-between them. Earlier that day, Kaito had approached the two junior officers and gave them a quick overview of their new assignment. Despite their predictable protest of having to work together yet again as pilot and gunner, both Konno and Josiah reluctantly accepted it after learning that Jonathan had promised that if they completed the mission successfully without any complications, they wouldn't have to continue their long tedious janitor duty to clean up their gigantic ship.

Meanwhile, Anika went to inform Otto about his trip to the _Neu Lambea_ while Jonathan went to find Nerge and convince him about Kaito's alternative plan. Much to Jonathan's relief, the proposal was approved by both the ex-Imperial Guard officer and later by General Dolmen who forwarded the details of the plan via a simple coded message to the _Neu Lambea_.

In the briefing room, the three junior officers listened attentively as Kaito gave the details of their mission which were presented on a large viewscreen with Jonathan and Anika beside him. However, neither Konno nor Josiah could exactly take the briefing as seriously as they wanted to. Not just because of their resentment for one another, but rather because the mission itself had been obnoxiously code-named: Operation Carrier Pigeon.

"As you can see here," said Kaito pointing to a 3D graphic map display on the screen. "In about an hour and a half from now, the _Neu Lambea_'s task force will be passing near the Makira System's outer asteroid belt, which is exactly 16.7 light years from where you will start your flight. Once you've launched from the _Audacious_, you will make haste to this rendezvous point by making two warp jumps in thirty-minute intervals as it takes time for the warp booster to recharge between jumps. Your first destination will be near a ringed gas planet in the small Ulawa Solar System, where you should be able to hide from any potential enemies due to the magnetic interference of the planet and the moons around it till you can jump again. After you rendezvous with the _Neu Lambea_, you will stay aboard the carrier for as long as you need till Sub Lieutenant Geiszler finishes downloading the recovered data. So please do not cause any inconvenience to the ship's crew while you're onboard."

"Of course not," muttered Josiah as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Kaito chose not to respond to the young tactical officer's remark and continued the briefing. "Upon completing the data download, the _Neu Lambea_ will launch your spacecraft at this point where you'll make three warp jumps to finally reach the outskirts of the Voss System where the _Audacious_, the _Manchester_ and the rest of the flotilla will be waiting for your return. In addition to getting the data from the _Neu Lambea_, Geiszler will also be helping with navigation and relations with the Garmillan crew aboard that carrier. Be sure to listen to him and make sure his ride is as comfortable as possible."

Otto gulped at the mention of his name, fidgeting nervously.

"What happens if we cannot find the _Neu Lambea_?" asked Konno. "Since she and her escorts are constantly on the move, we can't accurately predict when she'll arrive at the rendezvous point. There is a chance that the Garmillan Apollo Norm might arrive either too late or too early at the outskirts of the Makira System."

"Well if you're a bit early, our best estimate is that you should wait for at least half an hour for the _Neu Lambea_ to arrive," answered Anika. "But in the worst case scenario that she's possibly gone past the rendezvous point and that you arrived too late, you'll have to take the long journey to the Voss System on your own."

Konno nodded her head attentively before taping down notes on a data pad with her fingers.

"Remember this is a low-profile mission," Jonathan emphasized grimly. "Time is of the essence and you only have a limited air supply and rations for the journey. Make no mistake, if you fail or screw something up, this could not only cost the lives of you three but possibly tens of thousands of lives on other allied ships and bases in the days to come. We don't want repeats of the destruction of Garmillan Starbase 239, do we?"

"No sir!" replied Josiah firmly.

"Absolutely not," added Konno.

"Good!" nodded Jonathan. "Suit up and get ready to launch in thirty minutes. We'll deploy the modified Tiger IIB Attacker from the starboard hangar. Be ready by then! That will be all!"

The three senior officers saluted with their younger counterparts returning back the favor.

* * *

Inside the cockpit of the reddish-brown coloured Tiger IIB torpedo bomber, Konno steadied the controls of her new spacecraft to fly just parallel to the starboard hangar as the dark grey and orange warp booster was brought out slowly by hangar deck teams via mechanized suits. Even though the Mark III Warp Booster was a quarter smaller than its predecessor which made loading it inside a space battleship or a carrier's hangar easier and more feasible, it still looked quite big to Konno's eyes. This concerned her greatly as she was worried that the large booster would hamper her maneuverability if they were forced into combat.  
Much to her frustration, the Tiger IIB Attacker's defensive armaments weren't all at her disposal. Unlike the original fighter variant, the Tiger IIB Attacker didn't have nose mounted pulse laser guns, instead it had six of them placed in the wings, three on each side. This was pale in comparison to the ten she had on the original's wings. Luckily, Konno still had missiles at her disposal which included two large anti-ship missiles and two multi-purpose missiles, but she knew that if they accidentally ran into any skilled Gatlantean pilots, especially in those new interceptors, they were pretty much useless at locking on to them thanks to their sheer agility. This meant that the defence and offence against space fighters mostly relied on the bubble turret and its rear gunner. Needless to say, she wasn't at all happy at who was chosen to be at the controls of the dual turret.

Back in the rear bubble turret where Josiah was given a front row seat of the warp booster being attached to the rear of the Tiger IIB Attacker, he was cursing silently to himself for taking that elective course in the academy. Although he enjoyed being a rear seat gunner of a Cosmo Tiger II, it wasn't his intention to become one. Now here he was, paired up with his least favorite pilot in the universe.

As for the Garmillan in the middle seat, Otto was looking through his datapads and files that he brought aboard to continue analyzing and studying the data logs regarding the Gatlantean stealth attacks. Not because he wanted to continue his assignment in-flight, but rather to distract himself from the heated tension he could feel between the pilot and gunner which was making him extremely nervous.

"Ok, Warp Booster has been firmly connected," reported Konno as she looked through her instrument panel. "All flight systems look normal and are good to go."

Konno turned around to check if the rest of her bomber crew were set to go. "Ready everyone?"

"Rear gunner, ready to go," replied Josiah flatly.

"Yeah, I'm ready," squeaked Otto nervously.

"Carrier Pigeon to Audacious Command and _Manchester_," said Konno. "Request permission to leave the nest."

"_Audacious Command to Carrier Pigeon, you're clear for departure!_" came the voice of one of the flight control officers. "Good luck and have a safe flight."

"_Osprey Leader to Carrier Pigeon_," came the voice of Kaito on the radio. "_Before you go, I want to say this: If things don't go according to plan, I want you all to come back alive. Is that clear?_"

"Yes sir," replied Konno.

"_Thank you,_" replied Kaito's voice. "_And please bring back my warp booster in one piece! That thing is quite expensive._"

Konno giggled. "Relax Osprey Leader, I'll bring it back without a scratch. I promise!"

"_Okay, I'll have your word though_," Kaito laughed back. "'_Not a scratch!' By the way, someone is also here to say goodbye_."

Konno looked towards the flight control center inside the hangar bay and saw Genta grinning behind the windows despite being quite bandaged all over.

"_Hey Osprey Two_," said Genta's voice on the radio. "_Best of luck for your mission! Also, could you bring back the Tiger IIB Attacker back undamaged so I can fly it once I'm back on flight duty?_"

Konno lowered her head at the sight of her injured wingman which had reminded her of her failure to protect him.

"_Hello? Osprey Two? Are you there?_" asked Genta. "_Is everything alright?_"

"No it's fine," replied Konno as she forced a smile. "Don't worry Genta, I'll bring her back for you to have a go in it too."

Josiah cleared his throat, annoyed that they were being delayed. "Excuse me, but can we please go now? We got a tight schedule to follow!"

"Yes, yes, Mr Bossy," replied Konno flatly as she shot a glare back at her gunner before turning back to her flight controls. "Carrier Pigeon, taking off!"

The Tiger IIB Attacker's Warp Booster fired up its large rear engines, propelling the combined spacecraft torpedo bomber past the starboard side of the Audacious. Once the Tiger IIB was clear of the Audacious, Konno banked the spacecraft to port and passed right over the black Zoellugut-class dreadnought before leaving the flotilla.

"Manchester _to Carrier Pigeon, you're clear of the flotilla's air space and may proceed to warp_," came the voice of one of the radar operators from the Edinburgh-class cruiser on the radio.

"Copy that _Manchester_," replied Konno as she began to switch on several controls. "Powering up the booster's miniature wave motion engine flywheels to maximum revs now."

"Inputting jump coordinates to the warp booster navigation system," said Otto as he inputted a couple of numbers into the navigation computer.

"Confirmed!" replied Konno. "Coordinates received! All systems green. Accelerating to make the jump to warp. Ten, nine, eight-"

Inside the bubble turret, Josiah gritted his teeth uncomfortably as the entire fuselage of the spacecraft torpedo bomber began to vibrate loudly as the warp booster's massive engines fired up to full power. As Josiah hoped to himself that the rest of the flight wasn't going to be as miserable as this, Otto called him on the radio to ask a question out of blue just a couple of seconds before the end of the countdown.

"Erm Lieutenant Anton? What exactly is a Carrier Pigeon?"

But before Josiah could reply, the Warp Booster ignited to maximum power and sent the Tiger II-B Attacker into a warp jump, prompting both Josiah and Otto to scream in alarm.

* * *

A/N: _Nothing much to say about this one as it's pretty much self explanatory, aside from the minor fact that the mentioned attack on the Gaiderol-class astro battleship at the Haizerado astro fleet base is inspired by the sinking of HMS _Royal Oak_ at Scapa Flow by _U-47_ in 1939 which really shocked the Royal Navy as it was their primary naval fleet anchorage in the North Atlantic which was considered to be secure and impenetrable to U-Boats._

_As for RL news, unfortunately, the release of the next chapter is delayed due to current revisions along with unforeseen delays to the unreleased chapters. I can't release Chapter 21 too soon as that one and at least the next three chapters that follow it are quite tightly nit together. Rest assured, I'll try to get it release earliest in a month's time after this chapter's release as of this moment I'm currently writing._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 20 and look forward to the next one when it's eventually uploaded! Until then, stay safe everyone!  
_


	21. Latent Heat on a Distant Moon

**Chapter 21 - ****Latent Heat on a Distant Moon**

_**13th November 2204 - Ulawa 5**_

Deep in the rocky rings of a beautiful purple gas planet, the Tiger II-B Attacker emerged from its warp wormhole and nearly collided with a giant icy meteor.

"Whoa what the!?" exclaimed Konno as she yanked her flight stick hard left to avoid the large space debris.

"Watch out there's another one!" cried Otto as he pointed to yet another icy meteor directly in front of their path.

"Yeah I see it!" yelled Konno as she used the thrusters of the Warp Booster to dive their spacecraft bomber just under the icy meteor.

However, Konno had no time to take a break as there were still hundreds of icy meteors, both big and small, flying all around them which forced the young pilot to continue to weave and duck through the cluster. However, she couldn't dodge all of them as there were a few tiny icy debris that struck either the Tiger IIB Attacker or the Warp Booster.

"This isn't right!" Josiah frowned. "We were supposed to arrive above the rings of the gas planet! Not deep inside it! Did you set the coordinates wrongly?"

"I didn't!" protested Otto. "These coordinates were given by Lieutenant Commander Welmer herself! She wouldn't have made an error especially since it's right near a gas giant!"

Just then, an icy debris the size of a basketball, smacked right between the rear of the cockpit of the Tiger IIB Attacker and the bubble turret, which startled both Otto and Josiah causing them to jump in their seats in terror.

"Yikes!" screamed Otto.

"I've had enough of this!" muttered Josiah as he switched on the turret's targeting computer. "I'm going to shoot these damn space junk before they kill us!"

"No! Don't!" yelled Konno in alarm. "Hold your fire! I repeat hold your fire!"

"Why not!?" Josiah shot back at her just as their spacecraft bomber dodged yet another icy meteor from the left. "I can just blast those icy space rocks out of the sky to clear a path for us!"

"If you do that, you'll trigger a chain reaction of icy rocks to collide with everything inside the rings of this gas planet!" replied Konno. "And that includes us as well! Do you want us to risk getting hit by multiple space rocks from all directions!?"

Josiah bit back a curse as he knew that Konno was right. But he was still unnerved that they had to rely on Konno's piloting skills to get them out of this precarious zone.

As she weaved in and out through several space rocks, Konno saw an opening from above and pulled the Tiger IIB Attacker up into a climb towards the clearing. However just before she could reach it, two very large icy asteroids flew into her path, on a collision course with one another.

"Oh come on!" moaned Otto.

Despite the giant obstacles that were getting into their way, Konno pressed on to fly through the decreasing gap between the two asteroids.

"Are you crazy!?" yelled Josiah. "Don't go between them!"

"Don't worry, we'll make it!" replied Konno confidently as she began activating the controls to the warp boosters. "Initiating full thrust on booster engines! Hold on tight!"

The large twin rear engines of the warp booster ignited at full power, causing the Tiger IIB Attacker to accelerate at a rapid pace. As Otto felt the intense G-forces pushing him against his seat, he began sweating intensely as the Tiger IIB Attacker began entering the narrowing gap of the colossal asteroids.

"We're not going to make it!" squeaked Otto.

"We're going to make it!" reassured Konno as she pushed the Warp Booster engines to full power, aiming her bomber towards the narrowing gap.

"We're not going to make it!" a panicked Josiah screamed as he watched as the two rocky walls of the giant asteroids closed in rapidly from both sides.

"We'll make it! We'll make it!" yelled Konno as she pulled a half barrel roll to angle their speeding Tiger IIB Attacker sideways to buy additional precious seconds for them. Just before the warp booster's ventral and dorsal side began to scratch the edges of the asteroids, the Tiger IIB Attacker triumphantly shot out from between the two giant space rocks before they collided with one another.

Konno began cheering triumphantly before laughing to herself in both relief and excitement.

"See? I told you we would make it!" said Konno with a big grin on her face.

Otto gasped in deep breaths as he fought to catch his breath. "Oh God…. I thought this was it! Can we not do that again please? My poor heart…."

"Sorry," apologized Konno sheepishly. "But hey, at least we're still alive. That counts for something!"

"Indeed," said an annoyed Josiah who wasn't too pleased with Konno's cheerful attitude despite nearly getting crushed to death. "At least you lived up to your name! Little Miss Tunnel Vision!"

Konno's bright expression darkened at Josiah's remark, she was about to retort back to him when suddenly alarms began ringing out from her instrument display panel.

"Now what!?" exclaimed Otto.

Konno's eyes widened with concern as she saw several warning flashes coming from the warp booster systems display. "Uh oh! We have a major problem here! The Warp Booster's energy condensers are overheating!"

"Oh that's just great," muttered Josiah sarcastically while groaning in annoyance.

"The temperature is rising dangerously close to melting point," reported Konno as she began flipping some switches. "I'm initiating an emergency shut down to cool it off!"

"Wait what!?" exclaimed a worried Otto. "But won't that cut off our main propulsion?

"I can still use the thrusters to maneuver," replied Konno. "But our speed will be drastically reduced."

As Konno began looking out of her cockpit to peer at her surroundings around the gas giant's ring, she called out to her fellow bomber crew. "Gesizler! Anton! Try looking around for a landing spot!"

"Why may I ask?" replied Josiah as he rotated his bubble turret as he began searching with his eyes. "Are we in enough trouble to ditch our spacecraft?"

"No you dummy!" Konno rolled her eyes. "The situation isn't that bad. We just need to land so we can inspect the damage to the warp booster."

"Hey Miss Yashiro? Will that moon over there do?" asked Otto as he pointed to a pale white satellite that was above the asteroid ring at their eight o'clock.

"Yes!" replied Konno after taking a good glimpse. "That will do nicely! Hang on! I'm going to turn the warp booster back on for a short while so we can propel ourselves faster to that moon."

The main engines of the warp booster ignited once more but with a less intense glare as Konno began piloting the crippled spacecraft bomber towards the moon with a faint trail of smoke leaking from behind. Once the Tiger IIB Attacker was in close orbit of the moon, Konno began gliding over its surface as she and the rest of her motley bomber crew looked for a suitable place to land. Upon finding a landing spot on top of a flat plateau, Konno switched off the warp booster's main engines and used their thrusters to slowly land the Tiger IIB Attacker on the ground with a gentle touch.

With landing complete, Konno switched off most of the controls and began unbuckling herself from her seat with both Otto and Josiah doing the same. After depressurizing both the cockpit and the bubble turret, Konno opened the canopy of the cockpit and quickly climbed out to examine the smoking warp booster attached to her spacecraft's rear with the other two following suit.

Once the maintenance hatch of the warp booster opened, tons of smoke began pouring out causing the three officers to back off.

"Oh Gosh!" gasped Otto in shock.

After a dozen seconds, enough smoke had cleared out for Konno to look inside and examine the wave motion core chamber. To her relief, the wave motion core was still intact despite the chamber itself looking quite burnt and glowing from the heat.

"How bad is it?" asked Otto.

"The wave motion core looks undamaged and thankfully still online," replied Konno as she peered inside. "We can still perform a warp jump, but with the condensers overheating. I reckon it will take at least an hour at most to completely cool down."

"Oh that's just terrific!" Josiah threw his hands in the hand. "We're going to miss the rendezvous deadline by then!"

"Do you know what caused the failure?" asked Otto as he also looked inside the warp booster's main chamber compartment.

"I don't know," replied Konno as she tried looking through the systems of the warp booster via the control display screen. "I guess it's probably a coolant leak considering how fast it overheated."

"Huh…" muttered Otto as he looked at the machinery inside the wave motion core compartment. "Well what do you know, this wave motion core engine design is very similar to our FS Combat Boats' Geschtam Engines! It's definitely more advanced but I don't think it's as efficient as ours."

"Have you operated one of these engine drives before?" asked Konno curiously.

"A couple of times back when I was in the Imperial Garmillas Academy," replied Otto as he looked further into the engine bay. "I did an elective lesson on mechanical engineering and I had a lesson on these miniaturized Geschtam engines. Aha! I think I see the problem!"

Otto pointed to what had caught his attention: A disconnected tube that had been connected to the coolant liquid tank.

"Oh no!" gasped Konno. "That was supposed to supply coolant liquid to the condensers! I can't imagine how much of it we lost during the flight!"

"It doesn't seem broken," said Otto as he observed the damage. "Looks like it was loose and it just came off by itself."

"Really? I wonder why…" said Josiah sarcastically as he eyed Konno. "Maybe if someone hadn't been going out of their way to perform crazy flying stunts, I'm sure this wouldn't have happened."

"Excuse me!?" Konno turned to glare back at Josiah. "Are you saying that this whole thing was my fault!?"

"Of course!" argued Josiah. "If you hadn't pushed the booster so hard with that unnecessary maneuver back there, it wouldn't have gotten so banged up!"

"I had no choice!" snapped Konno. "We had to get out of the debris field as quickly as possible!"

"No choice?" laughed Josiah. "You sounded like you were having an awful lot of fun for someone forced into doing a perilous manoeuvre."

"W-what I-" stammered Konno, caught off guard by his statement. Noticing her hesitation, Josiah let out a sigh as a slight smirk formed on his face.

"Seriously, it's crap like this that makes me wonder how you keep getting away from every battle scot free." continued Josiah as he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" questioned Konno.

"Guys can we not do this now?" sighed Otto who was being distracted from analysing the warp booster.

"You stay out of this." snarled Josiah glaring at Otto before turning his attention back to the pilot in front of him.

"Every time you fly out in that damn space plane of yours it seems like you forget about everything else around you." began Josiah as he took a step forward. "You keep jeopardizing our mission by carelessly doing whatever you please while the rest of us are forced to make way for you just so you don't die from your recklessness! It's almost as if you think this is some sort of game!"

"That's not true at all!" countered Konno. "I know full well what the weight of my responsibilities are as a pilot of Osprey Squadron! That's why I always spend most of my off hours on the ship training in simulations and reading old action reports from veteran pilots to prepare myself for upcoming battles. I spent endless nights in the academy working to get myself to get here and I hope to even maybe one day get promoted to serve in the _Yamato_ fighter corps! I wouldn't sacrifice all that just for a bit of-

"And yet here you are, laughing as you dance between asteroids and even ignoring orders in the middle of a battle just to throw a fit!" exclaimed Josiah causing Konno to wince slightly. "_Yamato_ fighter corps? You barely function as a pilot here on the _Audacious_!"

"Oh and that gives you the right to try and blow me out of the-"

"You're too caught up in your own adrenaline rush to even realize the tactical situation of the battle which puts everyone around you at risk!" added Josiah coldly, cutting Konno off. "Like what happened with that other pilot, Osprey Four! Who nearly died under your command!

"That was different!" Konno argued with a hint of stammering in her voice. "I couldn't come in time to save Genta because-

"Because what? Because you were too busy?" spat Josiah.

Konno clenched her fist in response. "I was p-preoccupied!" she stammered shakily, "If I had let the other fighters go they would escape and-"

"And there's exactly my point!" exclaimed Josiah, taking another step forward. "A third rate pilot like you who's too caught up with herself to protect her own wingmen would never stand a chance at getting assigned to any of the best fighter squadrons of the fleet!"

Otto, realizing the situation was beginning to look hairy between the two attempted to interject but was cut off abruptly again by Josiah.

"Your dream to serve on the all mighty revered _Yamato_ of yours is nothing but a naive shallow fantasy that only optimistic fools like you would pursue." Josiah continued as he got right up in front of Konno, who would not meet his glare.

"Wake up Ms Yashiro! We're at war! Every mistake you make costs lives!" exclaimed Josiah. "If you can't comprehend that, then it would have been much better for all of us on the Audacious if you hadn't survived that graviton blast. Because right now, you're nothing but a liability with wings!"

The young pilot stood rooted in place, silently with her head down, seemingly reactionless as Josiah eyed her carefully. Her eyes were blocked by the top of her helmet, but he could clearly see the tightened fists that lay at her sides.

"I got it."

"W-what?" asked Josiah, caught off guard by the pilot's almost inaudible reply.

"I said I got it." murmured Konno before looking straight into Josiah's eyes. "Anything else?"

Josiah gulped quietly to himself as he barely met Konno's glare with his own. Her eyes were glistening, and her lips were barely holding in a quiver. But from his distance, the intensity in Konno's ruby colored eyes unnerved him, almost feeling as if a knife was being held up to his neck.

"C-come on guys," stuttered Otto as he slowly shuffled himself in between the two officers.

"Why don't we save our anger for when the Gatlanteans attack?" asked the bespectacled Garmillan officer, trying to sound as calm as he could. "F-fighting here isn't going to solve any of our problems anyway right?"

Otto let out a nervous laugh as he watched the two officers remain locked in their standoff.

"Fine," muttered Josiah softly before taking a step back. "That's all I needed to say anyway."

He glanced at Otto briefly causing the Garmillan officer to flinch before turning away. While he said nothing, Otto noticed that the scowl Josiah had worn since their mission briefing had cracked slightly, showing signs of concern underneath. The tactical officer broke off from the other two and hopped off the warp booster, landing softly on the moon's surface due to its low gravity.

"Hopefully we haven't screwed up the rendezvous," Josiah murmured under his breath as he slowly began walking away.

"W-wait where are you going?" asked Otto.

"I'm just going to that rock outcropping over there," Josiah flatly stated, pointing at a nearby rocky formation. "The booster needs to cool down anyway right? Just call me on the comms if there's anything."

"O-Okay," replied Otto as he watched the tactical officer leave the area.

Geesh, what's that guy's problem? he wondered silently to himself as he turned back to Konno. However the young pilot had quickly scampered back into the Tiger IIB's cockpit and was already sealing herself in. Otto let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his helmet in worry, thinking about what he should do.

* * *

Inside the cockpit, Konno ripped off her helmet gasping for air as her bob of black hair flowed down to her shoulders. Her breaths were shuddering, and the tears she had tried so hard to suppress earlier were beginning to trickle down her face. She bit her tongue as the lump she had been feeling in her throat began to overpower her, and tried to take in a few deep breaths.

_Ah what the heck are you doing?_ Konno thought to herself as she sat up straight and suddenly slapped herself with both hands. The young pilot winced as she felt the pain course through her face, but could feel her breathing slowly begin to stabilize. As she opened her eyes, she noticed a small reflection of herself in the well polished visor of her helmet which laid in her lap. Her eyes were puffy, and her fringe was in a mess. But the most noticeable thing to her were the two big red hand prints that had begun to form from where she had hit herself. Konno stared blankly at her reflection, and couldn't help but smile slightly in response as she let out a soft sigh.

"What am I doing?" she wondered quietly through her somber smile.

Just then, Konno heard a few metal thumps coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Otto making his way towards the cockpit. Wiping off the remnants of her tears, the young pilot quickly put her helmet back on and turned on her comms.

"Uh, sorry about that quarrel back there," said Konno through the comms as she forced a laugh. "I'll be out in a second if you need to check the readings from the instruments."

"N-no it's okay," stuttered Otto, caught off guard by her casual tone. "From what I could tell there's no significant mechanical damage to the warp booster. We should be able to make our way to the _Neu Lambea_ safely once it cools down."

As the canopy of the Tiger IIB's cockpit opened up, Otto watched as Konno climbed out and hopped down onto the surface.

"That's good," replied Konno as she stretched out her arms and let out a loud groan.

"Well, at least we get to stretch a bit." she said chirpily. "I'm sure you two are grateful for that."

"Y-yeah," replied Otto. The bespectacled Garmillon officer watched as Konno looked up into space. He couldn't tell what the pilot was feeling at all, and felt quite annoyed at himself for not being as perceptive as Anika when it came to these sorts of things.

"Um," Otto began as he slowly climbed down from the Tiger IIB and dropped down to the surface. "About just now, you shouldn't let what Lieutenant-"

"It's fine." said Konno nonchalantly. "Don't worry about me, I don't really care about what that trigger happy idiot says. He does this every time we bump into each other."

As she finished her sentence, the young pilot walked back to the nose of the spacecraft and sat down next to the Tiger IIB's landing gear.

"I'll just have to do better so he won't be able to find a reason to yell at me anymore." she continued before leaning back with her hands behind her head and let out a sigh. "Although I did mess up quite badly in the last mission, so it can't be helped that he's angry at me this time."

"I see," said Otto slowly as he lowered his head. Konno turned her head towards the bespectacled Garmillan officer and noticed he was basically squirming in discomfort.

"But thanks for trying to step in," said Konno quickly as she sat up and turned to face Otto. "Usually people just judge us from a distance. And I-I'd probably have punched him if he had said anything else."

"N-no problem," replied Otto as he gave a slight nod. "I know how that feels like."

"To want to punch someone?" asked Konno.

"Er- no," said Otto quickly. "I-I'm always scolded by my superiors so I can sort of understand where you're coming from when you say you just have to do better."

"O-Oh" said Konno as she lowered her head slightly in response. "What did you do to anger them so much?"

"A few things," said Otto as he sat down next to the young pilot. "Sometimes they would get annoyed whenever I couldn't follow their orders quickly enough or whenever I accidentally messed up my posture while marching. Other times I would get singled out because of my nervousness in front of them."

"That doesn't sound great," said Konno as she let out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," replied Otto as he let out a sigh. "It was better when I was still in the research division on Garmillas. Unfortunately I screwed up and got kicked to the regular forces."

"O-Oh," responded Konno as she unconsciously looked away.

"How about you?" asked Otto. "Earlier you seemed to have been quite enthusiastic about how hard you worked to earn your position."

"E-Eh?" said Konno in response as her head swooped back around. "Well y-yeah although it still has its ups and downs."

The young pilot glanced away sheepishly and scratched the back of her helmet.

"To be honest, becoming a fighter pilot was my dream for a very long time," admitted Konno as she smiled nervously. "So this is as close as it gets to being the ideal life to me."

"Really? Why?" asked Otto as curiosity lit up in his eyes. "Do you like spacecraft a lot?"

"Uh- no not exactly," laughed Konno as she brought up her hands defensively.

The young pilot leaned back and looked up towards the blue gas giant that hovered above them.

"How do I put this?" she wondered out loud as a nostalgic look entered her eyes. "I guess it was because I got to see the sky?"

"H-Huh?" asked Otto blankly in response.

"Sorry it's a bit hard to put into words," giggled Konno as she tilted her head. "I have this memory in my head from a few years ago when my family first stepped out of the underground shelter. We were being relocated to one of the new settlements that had been rebuilt after Earth was restored."

"I had pretty much grown up in those underground cities my whole life," she explained. "The only outside I had vaguely remembered at that point was the ruined hometown my family was from on Mars. Uh- That's the planet next to Earth, its colonists got into a war with our home planet and it resulted in quite a mess."

"Oh, I see," said Otto as he nodded his head slightly.

"I think unconsciously I was beginning to feel some sort of existential dread," said Konno as she leaned back again. "Every day I woke up to some sort of new bad news. It didn't help that the area my family was living in had a weaker protection layer from the radiation that had grown the surface and at the same time was a hotspot for riots. When the _Yamato_ was launched there was a huge hurrah over the media, saying that there was hope we were going to escape from this alive."

"Although when people continued to die from radiation sickness and cave ins, it was hard to see what all the fuss was about, especially when my father was among them." she said with a light smile.

"I-I'm sorry," said Otto as he lowered his head.

"It's fine," said Konno as she turned to Otto. "That was a long time ago, and Garmillas has changed a lot since then so I don't hold any grudges against you. Besides, you were probably only a teenager during then."

"That's true," said Otto softly.

"Anyway, the _Yamato_ somehow did actually return," said Konno chirpily. "Some people were paranoid that it was just a scheme by the government to cover up some sort of impending disaster, but the reality soon set in when some of us started to be relocated to the new settlements on the surface."

"It was almost a fever dream for me," continued Konno as she closed her eyes. "I was almost too scared to blink when we loaded up onboard the trucks because I was afraid I'd suddenly wake up.

The young pilot paused before turning away and looking into the distance.

"But I'll always remember that journey in that truck," said Konno as she held her hands fondly. "Unfortunately I was trapped in the middle seat and couldn't get a good look at the outside because we had a bunch of bags all over us, and my sister kept taunting me with how beautiful the view was from her seat. When we finally reached our destination I couldn't wait and rushed out of the truck."

Otto watched as Konno's eyes began to almost sparkle with life. The pilot took in a deep breath, and suddenly stood up.

"The sight I was met with was completely beyond my imagination!" laughed Konno as she let out her arms in a huge motion. "The place I ran out into was this massive open meadow sprinkled with flowers I had only seen in textbooks and was topped by the most brilliant sky! I remember slowly stopping in the field as I gazed up into a seemingly infinite blue, completely eclipsed by the scale and beauty of everything."

"And while my senses were slowly absorbing all these new sensations, I noticed something slowly moving about in my vision," said Konno as she mimicked the motion of something above her with her fingers. "I could barely see their forms, but the white vapor trails that followed then were a dead giveaway. Later I found out that they were a pair of Cosmo Zeros that were making their way back to base, but at that time I could only recognize them as two graceful aircraft dancing among the clouds."

The young pilot put her hands down, and placed her arms behind her back.

"In that single moment, I realized that I could be up there one day if I really wanted to," said Konno as she looked up at the ringed gas giant above them. "Suddenly the world seemed endless with possibilities, and I felt a weight I never knew of lifted off my shoulders."

The young pilot paused for a moment as she looked up at the ringed gas giant that hovered over them.

"After that, I just had to sign up for the Cosmo Navy," said Konno as she turned to Otto with a gleeful smile.

Her smile was contagious, and Otto couldn't help let out a laugh.

"I-I know it's a bit silly," laughed Konno nervously as she sat back down. "But honestly being able to be in the cockpit of a spacecraft like this is-"

"No I definitely understand where you're coming from," laughed Otto. "If I didn't have any passion in being a technical engineer I think I would have fainted from stress a long time ago from being in the military."

"Y-Yeah," stuttered Konno as she smiled warmly.

"Although," said Otto slowly as he tilted his head, "Why join the Cosmo Navy? I can understand your want to fly but why join the military considering all the baggage that comes with it? From what I understand, Earth doesn't have the same militaristic policies as Garmillas."

Konno opened her mouth to answer but hesitated for a moment. She lowered her head and glanced away.

"It- seemed like the best choice for me at the time," replied Konno as she forced another laugh "I wanted to dedicate myself to something that would make a difference, and I thought protecting the blue earth that gave me so much hope would be a good way to do it."

"I see," said Otto. "Is that why you're aiming to serve on the _Yamato_ eventually?"

"N-No that's more of a dream goal than an actual goal," said Konno defensively. "I'm not trying to say that only the _Yamato_ makes a difference."

"So then you want to serve on that ship because you want to meet your heroes?" asked Otto.

"N-No! That's not it- Well kind of- It's-" stuttered Konno as her eyes darted around.

The young pilot lowered her head and crossed her arms before letting out a sigh. She eyed the bespectacled Garmillan officer carefully as he tilted his head innocently in confusion.

"It's more about finding out about a person rather than meeting them," she said softly as she loosened her crossed arms before turning to Otto. "Have you heard about Planet Bomb Syndrome?"

Otto's whole body flinched when he heard the name of the disease.

"Y-Yes," said Otto as he lowered his head. "From what I know of, it was a fatal disease that was thought to be caused by exposure to the radiation from Garmilas' planet bombs."

"That's the one," said Konno as she looked down and began fidgeting with her hands.

"My family began to show symptoms of it over the course of a few months after we moved into the surface settlement. The first one being my Mom, followed by my older sister and then myself."

"That was actually one of the main reasons I ended up signing up for the Cosmo Navy," admitted Konno. "It was during the period when we only knew about Mom's sickness. My sister became very adamant that she wanted me to follow my dream, and pushed me to apply while she took care of Mom. Part of me felt guilty for leaving Mom to her, but at the same time both of them were highly supportive so I just went for it."

Konno began to lean back as she let out a sigh.

"Of course later I found out that she had the condition as well and regretted it immediately. But because I had spent so much time and effort working to get in, I realized she would probably get pissed if I quit just to see her for a little longer. That's why I decided to work as hard as I could to show her that I was doing well as a pilot so that she could leave feeling proud that she pushed her sister in the right direction."

The young pilot got up from the ground and turned around to gaze at the Tiger IIB behind them.

"Although I think I overworked myself too much during that time," sighed Konno. "My symptoms got dramatically worse after my sister passed away so I wasn't able to do anything of note. And while I was able to hide my condition from my superiors for a short while, I was suspended almost immediately once my physical state got worse."

"Though luckily for me a cure was miraculously found before I could fully kick the bucket," she added softly. The young pilot paused quietly for a while before turning to Otto.

"The reason why I want to serve on the Yamato is because I heard a rumor that one of their pilots sacrificed themselves to get that cure," said Konno as her chirpy tone returned. "I know it's just a rumor, and I'll probably never get the chance to talk to the Yamato's crew about it. But if it's true, I'd really like to know what that person was like, and thank them somehow for saving my life."

"Y-You'll make it eventually," said Otto. "Ignore what Lieutenant Anton says about you, I'm sure you'll get to work with them and find out about this person in due time. A-And if I may, I think your sister would have been proud of the pilot you've become."

Konno flinched slightly when she heard Otto's words. She stared at him blankly for a moment before closing her eyes gently.

"No, not yet," replied Konno. "She has some pretty high standards, and I highly doubt she would be proud of someone who could be described as a floating liability with wings."

Otto froze in response and lowered his head.

"S-Sorry that slipped out," said Konno as she let out a nervous laugh. "Anyway t-that's not necessarily a bad thing."

* * *

_"As I said, it just means I have to do better."_

Josiah shut off his comms as he heard the last sentence. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop but admittedly he was drawn into the conversation

The young lieutenant looked up from his resting position behind a large rock and gazed into space in thought. He grimaced to himself and sat up.

* * *

Half an hour later, Josiah strolled slowly back to the Cosmo Tiger IIB. He saw Otto on top of the warp booster still looking at its internals while Konno was seated in the cockpit with the canopy open. As he got closer to the space craft, Konno spotted him from the corner of her eye and the two locked eyes for a moment. Josiah shifted his eyes away quickly before Konno looked back at her controls, clenching her teeth slightly. As he climbed up the Tiger IIB, Otto slammed the access hatch shut and froze when he saw the lieutenant in front of him. Josiah ignored him and squeezed himself into the rear gunner seat and repressurised the cabin. He gripped the turret controls tightly as air entered the bubble canopy. The atmosphere was suffocating, and he couldn't wait to get back to the Audacious.

Meanwhile, Otto made his way into the back seat of the Cosmo Tiger II as Konno closed the canopy.

"Everything looks in order," said Otto. "It's safe for us to make one long range jump."

"Alright," replied Konno as the Cosmo Tiger IIB Attacker and the warp booster rumbled to life.

The combined spacecraft slowly lifted off from the surface of the moon, throwing up a whirlwind of dust with its thrusters and exhausts. The Tiger IIB Attacker got cleared of the orbit of the moon and flew away from the direction of Ulawa 5.

As Konno began to switch on several controls on her instrument panel, she carefully observed the temperature readouts from the wave motion core chamber of the warp booster.

"Internal chamber's temperature is still a bit hot," said Konno in concern as she lightly tapped the display panel. "But it looks safe to rev up the flywheels for a long range jump."

"Okay," replied Otto as he inputted a couple of numbers into the navigation. "Sending next jump coordinates now."

After receiving the coordinates and inputting into the nav computer of the Warp Booster, Konno sighed softly to herself.

"Let's hope we're not too late for the rendezvous..." she mumbled and began accelerating the warp booster to maximum throttle. "Jumping to warp in five, four, three, two, one!"

The Tiger IIB Attacker leapt into its warp wormhole and disappeared in a flash. Several seconds later, the modified spacecraft entered into the outskirts of the Makira System and was greeted by an unexpected sight.

"Whoa! What the-!?" exclaimed Konno in disbelief as she saw a large piece of olive green metal hurling straight towards them.

"Oh come on!" screamed Josiah as he braced himself.

Konno instinctively dove, barely avoiding the large chunk of debris which narrowly passed them above their cockpit.

"Can we please warp out safely for once?!" Josiah moaned.

"Sorry!" replied Otto, "But this should be the place!"

"Uh guys, we got a bigger problem," said Konno as the piece of debris flew out of her vision.

Josiah and Otto both turned toward what had attracted their pilot's attention and dropped their jaws in horror. Instead of flying into what was supposed to be a safe and isolated area of space where the _Neu Lambea_'s task force would be waiting for them, the young trio realized they had warped right in front of a chaotic space battle, in which the second member of the Crimson Camaraderie Carriers and her escorting ships were fighting for their lives against a Gatlantean attack group.

* * *

A/N:_ Hi guys, I apologize for the **very very very long wait** for this chapter to be posted. A crap ton of stuff happened for both myself and my proofreader in real life for the past two months which didn't give us much time to work on it.  
__The editing of this chapter itself was quite troublesome as it took nearly twenty rewrites in total to get this finalized as we both felt the direction and writing in previous drafts just didn't feel right or work which delayed it's original release two weeks later than I had planned. Hopefully it was worth the trouble if you had enjoyed reading this chapter.  
In addition if you've noticed a slight change in writing style for this chapter, that's because my proofreader has taken a bigger role in writing this specific arc as a joint-experimentation to see whether we could both collaborate on writing and developing different character dynamics for future chapters and story arcs. Hopefully you will enjoy what we've in store for the next few chapters of this arc which will hopefully be released in two weeks' time although due to our current real-life stuff, we can't make any promises._

_In regards to the mecha topic in this episode, I personally believe that the Warp Booster seen in Yamato 2202 was developed from the FS Torpedo Boat's engines as seen in Yamato 2199. If you don't remember the minor Garmillas ship from the series, it's the one that was used by the dimensional submarine UX-01 in an attempt to capture and evacuate Yurisha during the Battle of the Rainbow Cluster (only to kidnap Yuki instead by mistake), and later another was used by __Celestella, Dessler's former propaganda minster. Considering that Jirelian used the small craft to travel from the LMC to near the fringes of the Milky Way, it can be assumed it must have a miniaturized Geschtam/Warp engine to reach that distance. Thus it's logical to assume that both Earth decided to develop their own version of a portable miniaturized warp engine for their fighters with some assistance from Garmillan technical consultants after 2199. _

_Also to address reviewer Joey's comment about not finding the 'new' Gatlantean fighter, it's quite hard to look it up online as it isn't as popular as the infamous Deathvatator or the classic Gatlantean horseshoe crab fighter. At times I had to search up it's Japanese name which was a pain to find. But either way, you can find the official concept designs and images of the Eater II (sometimes called the Eataa II) on the website OurStarBlazers/CosmoDNA (which is practically where I do most of my SBY research). It may be hard to navigate through the website, but I highly recommend you to check it out as the wealth of info and stuff regarding all things about Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers is unparalleled. _


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